U.S. Department of Health and Human Services news and stories

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

CMS softens Medicare Advantage funding changes
Medicare Advantage customers may not see the drastic benefit cuts or premium hikes next year that insurers have been warning about after all.
FDA says longer use of nicotine gum is OK
The Food and Drug Administration says smokers who are trying to quit can safely use over-the counter nicotine gum, patches and lozenges for longer ...
APNewsBreak: US to revise cigarette warning labels
The U.S. government is abandoning a legal battle to require that cigarette packs carry a set of large and often macabre warning labels depicting the ...
FDA probes new pancreas risks with diabetes drugs
The Food and Drug Administration is looking into new evidence that suggests a group of recently approved diabetes drugs can increase the risk of ...
Brominated vegetable oil in Gatorade?
When PepsiCo Inc. announced it would stop putting an obscure vegetable oil in its Gatorade right before the Super Bowl, one of the loudest cheers came ...
Hard to find good info on drug safety in pregnancy
Nearly every woman takes a medication at some point during pregnancy. Yet there's disturbingly little easy-to-understand information about which drugs ...
FDA head says menu labeling 'thorny' issue
Diners will have to wait a little longer to find calorie counts on most restaurant chain menus, in supermarkets and on vending machines. Writing a new ...
US probes Sanofi over blockbuster drug Plavix
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating drug maker Sanofi's disclosures to the Food and Drug Administration about different responses to its ...
Correction: Health Overhaul-Language Barrier story
In a story March 4 about the challenges of explaining health care reform to non-English speakers, The Associated Press relied on incorrect information ...
How budget cuts could affect you
Automatic spending cuts scheduled to take effect Friday are expected to touch a vast range of government services. Some examples: DEFENSE One of the ...
FDA Commissioner: budget cuts mean less safe food
Fewer food safety inspections and an increased risk to consumers will result from the lack of a new 2013 budget from Congress and the upcoming ...
FDA halts Amgen study after teen patient death
Federal health regulators have halted Amgen's studies of its drug Sensipar after the death of a 14-year-old patient in a company trial. The Food and ...
FDA names new head of tobacco products center
A Food and Drug Administration veteran who helped spearhead efforts to regulate the tobacco industry in the 1990s is taking over the agency's Center ...
Feds indict 4 in peanut butter salmonella outbreak
Four former peanut company employees have been charged with scheming to manufacture and ship salmonella-tainted peanuts that killed nine, sickened ...
White House warns of food safety cuts
Impending across-the-board budget cuts could mean fewer government food safety inspections and higher prices for meat at the grocery store. A White ...
Novo Nordisk US shares skid on drug review setback
Shares of Novo Nordisk tumbled Monday after the Danish drugmaker said U.S. regulators need a new study before they can finish their review of two ...
Mountain Dew introduces a breakfast drink
If you don't like coffee or tea, Mountain Dew has a new breakfast drink that might perk you up. PepsiCo Inc. is rolling out a new drink called ...
USADA extends deadline for Armstrong to talk
Lance Armstrong on Wednesday was given more time to think about whether he wants to cooperate with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Separately, he learned ...
FDA warns of new fake batch of cancer drug Avastin
The Food and Drug Administration is warning U.S. doctors about another counterfeit version of the cancer drug Avastin, the third case involving the ...
ER visits tied to energy drinks double since 2007
The young man stumbled into the emergency room late one night after a house party, saying his heart wouldn't stop pounding and he could barely breathe ...
FDA requires lower doses for sleep medications
The Food and Drug Administration is requiring makers of Ambien and similar sleeping pills to lower the dosage of their drugs, based on studies ...
Purina, Milo's Kitchen pulling some dog treats
Two makers of pet treats are pulling products from the market because they may contain traces of poultry antibiotics that aren't approved in the U.S.
FDA: New rules will make food safer
The Food and Drug Administration says its new guidelines would make the food Americans eat safer and help prevent the kinds of foodborne disease ...
AP IMPACT: Big Pharma cashes in on HGH abuse
A federal crackdown on illicit foreign supplies of human growth hormone has failed to stop rampant misuse, and instead has driven record sales of the ...