U.S. senators call for review of FDA following Philips recall fallout

[Image by f11photo via stock.adobe.com]Two U.S. senators sent a letter calling on the government to review the FDA’s oversight of medical device recalls amid the ongoing Philips Philips (NYSE: PHG) + Respironics recall.

Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent the letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The letter requests an update to a 2011 GAO report entitled “Medical Devices: FDA Should Enhance Its Oversight of Recalls.”

Durbin and Blumenthal’s scrutiny of FDA oversight comes in the wake of several developments in Philips’ respiratory device recall.

Since mid-2021, more than 5 million Philips Respironics devices have been recalled due to dangerous degradation of sound abatement foam. At least 385 deaths have been reported in connection with the foam-related recall.

While the company continues to work though its remediation process, mor…

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Xavier Becerra confirmed as HHS secretary

Image from Gage Skidmore on Flickr

The U.S. Senate narrowly voted to confirm Xavier Becerra as the secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services (HHS) today.

Becerra received the nomination for the position from President Joe Biden in December 2020. Today, the Senate voted 50-49 in favor of Becerra, who will have to resign his seat as the attorney general of California. He will succeed Alex Azar, who held the position during the Trump administration until his resignation just days before Biden’s inauguration.

Get the full story at our sister site, Medical Design & Outsourcing.

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