FDA chief calls for probe of talks between agency and Biogen before Alzheimer's drug was approved
CBSN
Janet Woodcock, the acting commissioner of U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said on Friday she is calling for an investigation into links between FDA staff and pharmaceutical company Biogen prior to the agency's approval of a controversial Alzheimer's drug.
"Given the ongoing interest and questions, today I requested that [the Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services] conduct an independent review and assessment of interactions between representatives of Biogen and FDA during the process that led to the approval of Aduhelm," Woodcock wrote on Twitter. Aduhelm, the brand name of the Biogen drug, was approved a month ago by the FDA, making it the first new drug for Alzheimer's disease in nearly 20 years cleared for commercial use by government health officials.On May 7, health influencer Paul Saladino, M.D.. posted a video to his X account that promoted feeding "raw dairy" to infants. The post received over 90,000 views and sparked strong backlash before it was removed the following day. Saladino regularly advocates for "animal-based" diets featuring raw milk, including on his TikTok channel where he has over half a million followers.
Everywhere you look, things are getting more complicated. Our phones have over a thousand settings. Showerheads come with apps. Cars have touchscreens. Ovens have touchscreens. "There's no doubt that 'featuritis' is real," said design consultant Jakob Nielsen. "Most of these things are too complicated."
New research is adding to the evidence linking ultra-processed foods to health concerns. The study tracked people's habits over 30 years and found those who reported eating more of certain ultra-processed foods had a slightly higher risk of death — with four categories of foods found to be the biggest culprits.