On April 20, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued regulations for the recruitment and retention of research scientists actively engaged in biomedical research or clinical research evaluation to support its mission. This was done to implement authorities provided by the 21st Century Cures Act (enacted in December 2016). HHS officials said that the HHS agencies that are ex

Priority open recommendations are the GAO recommendations that warrant priority attention from heads of key departments or agencies because their implementation could save large amounts of money; improve congressional and/or executive branch decision making on major issues; eliminate mismanagement, fraud, and abuse; or ensure that programs comply with laws and funds are legally spent, among other

The precise magnitude of the problem of antibiotic resistance is unknown. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has made progress in expanding surveillance of infections from certain antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the United States and abroad but faces several challenges. CDC faces challenges in conducting surveillance for antibiotic resistance due to the limited data it is able

In March 2019, GAO identified 30 priority recommendations for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Since then, VA has implemented 10 of those recommendations by, among other things, taking actions to ensure employees are protected against retaliation and helping ensure timely and accurate processing of veterans' enrollment applications. In addition to the 10 recommendations that VA has implem

GAO's analyses of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data on pregnant women found: (1) ICE detained pregnant women over 4,600 times from calendar year 2016 through 2018, with more than 90 percent resulting from CBP arrests. (2) Sixty-eight percent of these detentions were for 1 week or less, while 10 percent were for more than 30 days. (3)

Hospice care helps patients who are terminally ill maintain their quality of life. Most patients get hospice care at home, which typically includes use of controlled substances, including opioids such as oxycodone, to provide pain relief. When hospice patients die at home, they often leave behind unused controlled substances, which can be diverted and misused by anyone with access to them. The Su

GAO's analysis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System data shows that from 2007 through 2016, over 6,700 women died of causes related to or aggravated by their pregnancy—either while pregnant or within 1 year of the end of pregnancy. While CDC data show an overall increase in the pregnancy-related mortality ratio in the United States du

What is it? CRISPR is one type of gene editing technology that allows scientists to modify DNA, the hereditary information in humans and almost all other organisms. Modifying DNA can lead to changes in an organism's characteristics, such as eye color or susceptibility to disease. How does it work? CRISPR leverages a natural defense mechanism of bacteria to cut DNA at a specific location. Specific

Four key features of new drug applications (NDA) are linked to the time the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) takes to complete initial reviews of NDAs. Three key NDA features determine the time frames for initial review that would meet FDA's goals under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) and its reauthorizations, which authorize FDA to collect user fees from drug sponsors: (1) Whether o

and Drug Administration (FDA) takes to complete initial reviews of NDAs. Three key NDA features determine the time frames for initial review that would meet FDA's goals under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) and its reauthorizations, which authorize FDA to collect user fees from drug sponsors: (1) Whether or not the NDA qualifies for the priority review program, which is generally an ex