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FDA may soon ban artificial red dye used in candy, food and drinks

December 9, 2024
The Food and Drug Administration will decide whether to ban a common, artificial food dye often used in candy, snacks and beverages. The FDA said it has reviewed the safety of Red Dye No. 3, made from petroleum “multiple times” since its first approval in 1969.

However, there’s a petition asking the agency to investigate the controversial dye once more.

On Thursday, Dec. 5, the FDA’s deputy commissioner told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee it’s hoping to act on the petition within the “next few weeks.”

More than 2,800 products contain the red dye, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. It’s used in popular products advertised for kids, including Fruit by the Foot, Nerds and Peeps.

Red Dye No. 3 doesn’t add any nutritional value to the product. Public health groups also found links to behavioral problems in children, such as hyperactivity.

The FDA banned the dye in makeup and topical drugs in 1990. Researchers found it to be carcinogenic to animals in high doses. Yet, the FDA’s deputy commissioner said the agency believes there’s no risk to humans.

Last year, California banned Red Dye No. 3, along with three other food dyes. Several countries, including the U.K. and Australia, also banned the red dye.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for health secretary, has been critical of food dyes in the past, claiming they cause cancer. It’s uncertain whether he plans to do anything about the dyes should he be confirmed.
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Senate demands answers on popular weight loss drug’s price

September 24, 2024
As weight loss injections continue to grow in popularity, the maker of two of the most popular is testifying on Capitol Hill Tuesday, Sept. 24. The CEO of Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic and Wegovy, will testify before a Senate committee about the high cost of these popular drugs.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, the head of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, has been vocal about frustrations over how much Americans are charged for their medications.

While they’re pretty much the same thing, Ozempic is used to treat type 2 diabetes, while Wegovy is specifically approved for weight loss purposes only. A previous report by the committee showed the price of Wegovy is significantly lower in European countries — for example, it’s about $140 a month in Germany and only $92 in the U.K., while the same drug runs Americans more than $1,300 a month.

Tomorrow, I will ask the CEO of Novo Nordisk, Mr. Lars Jørgensen:

Why are you charging the American people up to 10 or 15 times more for the same exact product than you're charging people in Canada and Europe? pic.twitter.com/DKaUiQSaM3
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) September 23, 2024

Ahead of the hearing, Novo Nordisk is defending its pricing structure in a statement saying, “We appreciate that it is frustrating that each country has its own healthcare system, but making isolated and limited comparisons ignores a fundamental fact…Unfortunately, even when we lower our prices, too often patients in the United States don’t receive the savings.”

The company also said Ozempic’s net price — which is how much money it makes after rebates and discounts are calculated — has gone down 40% since it was introduced in the U.S. Wegovy is “following a similar trajectory,” according to the company.

The Department of Health and Human Services said in a report published in February that in 2022, prices of all drugs in the U.S. were nearly three times as high as in other wealthy countries — despite whether they were name brand or generic.

Watch Tuesday’s hearing here.
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Nearly 50% of insured Americans get surprise medical bills: Study

August 2, 2024
Nearly half of insured U.S. adults say they’ve gotten a surprise medical bill in the past year for something insurance should have covered. A new study from the Commonwealth Fund shows many of those bills are the result of billing errors or coverage denials.

Still, the study shows less than half of those who were wrongly billed challenged their insurance company or health care provider — even though the study found more than 1 in 3 people who do challenge the surprise charges have their costs either reduced or eliminated completely.

More than half of those surveyed said they didn’t know they had the right to challenge medical billing errors.

The Commonwealth Fund study also said the consequences of coverage denials were apparent, with 60% of people reporting delays in care and 47% saying their condition got worse while waiting for care. Meanwhile, 17% of people said their insurance denied coverage altogether for certain services or procedures recommended by their doctor.

Surprise-Medical-Bills Download

This survey comes as a growing number of Americans say they’re struggling with medical debt. More than 4 in 10 say they have some sort of medical debt and more than 1 in 10 say they owe $10,000 or more, according to the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee. The HELP committee held a hearing in July about potential fixes to the growing problem.
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Former intelligence chief says lab leak theory is sole explanation for COVID-19

April 18, 2023

Former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said that a lab leak is the only credible explanation for the pandemic. Ratcliffe made the statement in his testimony at a Senate subcommittee hearing on the origins of COVID-19 on Tuesday, April 18.

“My informed assessment, as a person with as much access as anyone to our government’s intelligence during the initial years of the pandemic has been and continues to be that a lab leak is the only explanation credibly supported by our intelligence, by science and by common sense,” Ratcliffe said.

Ratcliffe’s testimony comes on the heels of a report released by Republican leadership within the Senate Health Committee. The report found that two separate leaks at Chinese labs likely sparked the pandemic. The leaks date back to October of 2019.

The report did not decisively conclude that a lab leak was the cause. Rather, it was meant to compare the lab leak theory to the other leading theory that the virus was transferred to humans from a wild animal. However, the report concluded that the former theory was more likely, arguing that scientists haven’t found any naturally-occurring viruses with the same composition of the coronavirus. The report also cited evidence that the virus was circulating in Wuhan before the first known cases connected to a wet market that sold live animals were reported.

In addition, Rep. John Joyce, R-Pa., noted during the hearing that researchers within the Wuhan Institute of Virology became ill with symptoms consistent with COVID-19. He questioned whether the pandemic could have been contained if this information had been shared earlier.
TikTok CEO to testify, defend app security amid bans: March 23 rundown

March 23, 2023

TikTok’s CEO testifies on Capitol Hill; Wyoming’s abortion ban blocked; and the latest on former President Donald Trump’s indictment. These stories and more highlight the Straight Arrow News daily rundown for Thursday morning, March 23, 2023.

TikTok CEO to testify on Capitol Hill

TikTok’s CEO will testify before a House committee today, March 23, defending his app amid growing calls from Congress to enact a nationwide ban. Shou Zi Chew is expected to be questioned over security concerns related to the app. According to prepared testimony, he will tout that the U.S. has 150 million users and insist their information is stored on American soil and overseen by an American company.

Trump lawyer to testify in docs probe

A federal appeals court has ruled against an attorney for former President Donald Trump, ordering him to comply with a federal grand jury subpoena in its Mar-a-Lago classified documents investigation. Evan Corcoran’s testimony in the probe could come as early as Friday. Corcoran is being asked to provide information about his communications with Trump, something the attorney and trump have argued is protected under attorney-client privilege.

This comes as the nation awaits whether or not Trump will be charged by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. The grand jury is expected to reconvene today, March 23.

Moderna CEO faces Senate questioning

The Senate Health Committee held a hearing Wednesday, March 22, to speak with the Moderna CEO Stephanie Bancel about proposed price hikes for the company’s COVID-19 vaccine. Moderna said it will drastically raise the price once its contract with the government ends in the coming months, going from $26 per dose to $130 per dose. That’s a price increase of 400%. Despite pressure from lawmakers on Capitol Hill, Moderna’s Bancel defended the company’s price hike, predicting a 90% drop in demand for the vaccine.

Judge blocks Wyoming abortion ban

Abortions have gone from legal to illegal and back to legal again in the state of Wyoming. A U.S. district court judge on Wednesday, March 22, temporarily blocked a statewide abortion ban that came into effect over the weekend of March 18-19.

The state’s new law prohibits abortion at all stages of pregnancy except in cases of rape or incest, or to save the woman’s life.

The new law had to define an abortion as “a procedure that is not health care” because the state’s constitution states people have the right to make their own health care decisions.

SEC charges Lohan and other celebrities

U.S. regulators have charged eight celebrities, including actress Lindsay Lohan and social media personality Jake Paul, with participating in an illegal crypto scheme. The stars allegedly used their social platforms to boost two crypto tokens without disclosing they were paid to promote them.

Lohan has more than 8 million followers on Instagram where she called for her followers to invest. The charges were announced by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Lohan and Paul have paid to settle the charges without admitting guilt.