"We know that there is persistent abuse, addiction, overdose mortality, and risk of NOWS associated with IR opioid products," said Dr. Douglas Throckmorton, M.D., deputy center director of regulatory programs at FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Today, we have taken an important next step in clarifying and making more prominent the known risks of IR opioid medications."
The ban would not apply to powdered radiographic protection gloves, because FDA is not aware of any powdered radiographic protection gloves that are currently on the market; in addition, non-powdered surgeon gloves and non-powdered patient examination gloves will not be included in the ban and will remain Class I medical devices.
"In case after case, the prompt reporting of worker injuries has created opportunities for us to work with employers we wouldn't have had contact with otherwise," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels, author of OSHA's report.
Northwest Hospital & Medical Center has contacted about 1,340 of its patients who had surgery from Dec. 30, 2011, to March 9, 2012, in an operating room where that individual, identified as Rocky Allen, worked.
The guideline is intended for primary care providers who are treating adult patients for chronic pain -- and not for active cancer treatment, palliative care, and end-of-life care.
Surveillance for microcephaly and GBS should be standardized and enhanced, particularly in areas of known Zika virus transmission and areas at risk, the committee recommended, and work should begin on the development of a potential case definition for "congenital Zika infection."
Public health experts fear the outbreak could result in hundreds of thousands of infected people in Puerto Rico during 2016 based on past experience with dengue and chikungunya, which are transmitted by the same mosquitoes.
The document is intended to help manufacturers, importers and other employers.
Its forecast for 4,300 to 4,800 civilian use helicopters delivered from 2016 to 2020 is about 400 fewer than the 2015 five-year forecast. Twenty percent of the delivered helicopters are for EMS and search and rescue.
The STARS air ambulance service is headquartered in Calgary and operates out of six bases in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
"Our children are our most precious resource, yet one in five fail to receive all the immunizations they need to survive and thrive, leaving millions vulnerable to preventable disease," said Dr. Kesetebirhan Admasu, minister of Health for Ethiopia. "This is not acceptable."
"I look forward to working with Dr. Califf to ensure the FDA can carry out every aspect of its critical mission, from ensuring the safety and effectiveness of the medical products we use to protecting the nation's food supply and implementing its oversight of tobacco products, to furthering our efforts to combat opioid abuse," HHS Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell said in a statement.
Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Stryker Corporation has agreed to acquire 100 percent of the stock of Redmond, Wash.-based Physio-Control International, Inc. in an all-cash transaction.
WHO said $56 million is required to implement the framework and plan, which cover January-June 2016.
The funds will help implement the food safety law and improve medical product safety and quality, said Acting Commissioner Dr. Stephen Ostroff, M.D.
Top officials for the organization have called for an action plan to reassess the agency's approach to opioid medications. FDA also will convene an expert advisory committee before approving any new drug application for an opioid that does not have abuse-deterrent properties.
"This discovery adds another important piece of information to the complex picture of tickborne diseases in the United States," said Dr. Jeannine Petersen, a CDC microbiologist.
"Now that we know Zika virus can be transmitted through sex, this increases our awareness campaign in educating the public about protecting themselves and others," said Zachary Thompson, the department's director.
The World Health Organization will convene an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on the alarming spike in Zika virus cases.
The initial certification belongs to Parrish Medical Center, a 210-bed, not-for-profit public medical center in Titusville, Fla., that is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.