It’s the start of flu season – time to protect yourself and your family by getting vaccinated! In today’s #FDA #SUNDAYTWEETORIAL I’m going to talk about #FDA’s role in ensuring the safety, effectiveness, and availability of the 2019 influenza vaccines. #VaccinesWork #FightFlu I know there are questions about the effectiveness and benefits of the flu vaccine given the severity of last year’s flu season, so I want to update you on what we’ve learned, the effectiveness of this year’s vaccine and why vaccination is important go.usa.gov/xPWhS.

Compounded drugs serve an important medical need for patients who can’t use an FDA-approved medication. In today’s #FDA #SUNDAYTWEETORIAL, I’m going to talk about what FDA is doing to preserve access to appropriately compounded drugs while protecting patients from serious risks. In drug compounding, ingredients are combined, mixed or altered to create a sterile or non-sterile medication tailored to a patient - such as those with an allergy who need a drug without a certain dye or a child who can’t swallow a tablet and needs medicine in a liquid form.

As kids are heading back to school, for this #FDA #SUNDAYTWEETORIAL I’m going to talk about MEASLES and the vital importance of vaccination. You may’ve seen recent news stories reporting cases of measles in parts of the US and EU. Most cases have occurred in unvaccinated people In 2018 there have been 124 individual cases of measles in 22 states and D.C. Measles can spread when it reaches a community where there are groups of unvaccinated people. And travelers with measles continue to bring the disease into the United States go.usa.gov/xUzwa

Consumers want and expect safe, wholesome and affordable food. They deserve nothing less. In today’s #FDA #SUNDAYTWEETORIAL I’m talking about what steps the FDA, the states and produce farmers are taking - in collaboration - to ensure the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables. We hear too often about food safety concerns involving fresh fruit and vegetables -most recently the outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections associated with romaine lettuce from the Yuma growing region, the largest such outbreak in the U.S. in more than 10 years.

THREAD ON NEW ENFORCEMENT ACTION: We’re taking action against manufacturers marketing “vaginal rejuvenation” devices to women by deceptively claiming the procedures treat conditions and symptoms related to menopause, urinary incontinence, & sexual function fda.gov/NewsEvents/New… These products have serious risks and don’t have adequate evidence to support their use for these purposes. We’re deeply concerned women are being harmed by these procedures

For this weekend's #FDA #SUNDAYTWEETORIAL I’m going to talk about what FDA is doing to modernize clinical trials to reduce the cost of drug development, potentially lower drug costs and bring more safe, effective therapies to patients. FDA’s mission is to both promote and protect public health. For medical products, this means ensuring that they are safe and effective for their intended use. Clinical trials are the primary vehicle for generating the evidence FDA needs to ensure that.

The topic of this week’s #FDA #SUNDAYTWEETORIAL is #drugshortages. FDA does everything possible within our authority to help address shortages. While we’ve made progress to mitigate shortages; we must do even more to understand and address the root causes of persistent shortages Manufacturing & quality issues are some of the proximate causes of drug shortages. Availability of raw materials; unexpected increases in demand, i.e. due to illness outbreaks or changes in clinical practice; or unavailability of other drugs in a class also can lead to a shortage

For this week’s #FDA #SUNDAYTWEETORIAL, I want to talk about #biosimilars. It's a critical moment in the development of the market for these products. We'll advance major policy changes in this area soon. Enhancing biosimilar competition is a key to reducing overall drug spending Congress charged #FDA with maintaining balance between encouraging and rewarding innovation and facilitating robust and timely competition. We must ensure that this balance exists across the spectrum of pharma products; from small molecules to more complex products to biologics

SUNDAY TWEETORIAL: For those who follow me, you’ll know that the topic of this week’s #FDA Sunday Tweetorial is among the most critical: food safety. FDA takes our responsibility for assuring safety of the food supply seriously, and food safety is one of my highest priorities The US has one of the safest food supplies in the world. #FDA continues to make sure the abundant, diverse, and complex global food supply is safe, and that food imported into the US is held to the same standards as food produced at home