Public Health

Expert panel including Ashok Venkitaraman, director of the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, discusses public health challenges and innovations to help address these. Long-acting drugs, intercepting cancer early and “design thinking” by ophthalmologists in India were among the talking points.

Dyes and colors which FDA says industries agree should no longer be used aren’t unsafe and are currently used only with the agency’s approval, industry stakeholders say. Center for Science in the Public Interest says the dyes are used “in tens of thousands of foods and beverages that are commonly consumed here in the United States.”

Questions from researchers and public health advocates during workshop to discuss FDA authority under PREA Act point to agency and OTC NDA sponsors having additional boxes to check on potential unmet needs in drugs indicated for children and specifically on clarity of labeling for consumers of low health literacy, narrowing indications to prevent confusion and education about OTC drug formulations for health care providers.