Friday, January 25, 2013

FDA seeks more authority amid meningitis outbreak | Redux

FDA seeks more authority amid meningitis outbreak

Excerpt:

The head of the Food and Drug Administration asked Congress Wednesday for more authority to police pharmacies like the one that caused a fatal meningitis episode, even as lawmakers questioned why the company didn't do more with its existing powers. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg called for new laws to clarify her company 's authority to crack down on companies like the New England Compounding Center, which distributed polluted pain injections that have actually sickened more than 460 Americans and caused 32 deaths. Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee invested most of the first hearing on the episode questioning state and federal regulatory authorities about why they didn't act faster against the company. A timeline constructed by the committee's Republican personnel showed that the FDA and the Massachusetts board of pharmacy examined the pharmacy more than a lots times in the past years.

People:

Margaret Hamburg

Overall Sentiment: -0.0544845

Relevance: 0.970679

SentimentQuote
-0.121442Hamburg told lawmakers that the problems uncovered in inspections were "very serious," ...
-0.018666"The challenge we have today is that there is a patchwork of legal authorities that oversee the regulatory actions we can take," said Hamburg, ...
-0.0733732Hamburg said that when her agency tries to intervene in those cases they face a "crazy quilt," ...
0Hamburg to answer simple "yes or no" ...
-0.252622"No, I'm saying it's very hard to know if any one action we might have taken would have stopped this terrible tragedy," Hamburg said. ...
Sentiment Stats:
  • Number of Quotes: 5
  • Aggregate Sentiment: -0.4661032
  • Mean: -0.09322064
  • Standard Deviation: 1.4142135623731

Mr. Cadden

Overall Sentiment: -0.164826

Relevance: 0.447736

SentimentQuote
0.0386955Cadden told lawmakers, "Under advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer under basis of my constitutional rights and privileges, including the Fifth Amendment."
Sentiment Stats:
  • Number of Quotes: 1
  • Aggregate Sentiment: 0.0386955
  • Mean: 0.0386955
  • Standard Deviation: 1.4142135623731

Eddie Lovelace

Overall Sentiment: -0.0868411

Relevance: 0.355734

SentimentQuote
-0.107705"My family is bitter, we are angry, we are heartbroken and devastated. I come here begging you to do something about the matter," Lovelace said. ...
Sentiment Stats:
  • Number of Quotes: 1
  • Aggregate Sentiment: -0.107705
  • Mean: -0.107705
  • Standard Deviation: 1.4142135623731

Rep. Diana DeGette

Overall Sentiment: -0.371104

Relevance: 0.327097

SentimentQuote
-0.22888"We have to figure out how to give you the jurisdiction to do what you need to do ... and these inconclusive answers are not helping us," said Rep. Diana DeGette, ...
Sentiment Stats:
  • Number of Quotes: 1
  • Aggregate Sentiment: -0.22888
  • Mean: -0.22888
  • Standard Deviation: 1.4142135623731

Rep. Fred Upton

Overall Sentiment: -0.219384

Relevance: 0.315949

SentimentQuote
-0.178079"I was stunned and angered to learn that an inspection of the NECC by the FDA and the Massachusetts board of pharmacy over 10 years ago identified contamination in the very same drug at issue in the current outbreak," said Rep. Fred Upton, ...
Sentiment Stats:
  • Number of Quotes: 1
  • Aggregate Sentiment: -0.178079
  • Mean: -0.178079
  • Standard Deviation: 1.4142135623731
Disambiguation: Politician | U.S.CongresspersonReferences:

Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla.

Overall Sentiment: -0.724764

Relevance: 0.302713

SentimentQuote
0.173939"You're the grand poobah of the FDA and I'm asking you, `could you have prevented this tragedy?' and you're saying you couldn't have because you don't have jurisdiction," said Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., ...
Sentiment Stats:
  • Number of Quotes: 1
  • Aggregate Sentiment: 0.173939
  • Mean: 0.173939
  • Standard Deviation: 1.4142135623731

President Obama

Overall Sentiment: 0

Relevance: 0.300015

Stearns

Overall Sentiment: -0.189617

Relevance: 0.27947

SentimentQuote
-0.139313"Mr. Cadden, what explanation can you give the families who have lost their loved ones, and those who are gravely ill, for the actions of your company?" asked Stearns, ...
Sentiment Stats:
  • Number of Quotes: 1
  • Aggregate Sentiment: -0.139313
  • Mean: -0.139313
  • Standard Deviation: 1.4142135623731

Key:

  • Aggregate Sentiment is meant to be an indicator of an individual's overall sentiment.
  • The Mean is meant to be an indicator of an individual's average comment sentiment.
  • The Standard Deviation, when there are enough quotes, will indicate an individual's consistency of sentiment (i.e. a Standard Deviation of 0 would mean they were very consistent in their sentiment and 1 would mean they were very inconsistent).

Note that quote stats are likely to be meaningless beyond the aggregate score due to the tiny sample size. However, they are always provided just in case you find something useful there.

Additional Info:

Organization: Food and Drug Administration

Overall Sentiment: -0.0271861

Relevance: 0.772541

Organization: House Energy and Commerce Committee

Overall Sentiment: -0.10601

Relevance: 0.441513

Organization: Massachusetts board of pharmacy

Overall Sentiment: 0

Relevance: 0.371064

Organization: Centers for Disease Control

Overall Sentiment: -0.2309

Relevance: 0.320554

Organization: Obama administration

Overall Sentiment: -0.183037

Relevance: 0.318022

Organization: Congress

Overall Sentiment: 0.132858

Relevance: 0.315815

Disambiguation: Dedicator | GovernmentalBody | Legislature | NaturalOrCulturalPreservationAgencyReferences:

Organization: federal government

Overall Sentiment: 0.0154779

Relevance: 0.301365

StateOrCounty: Massachusetts

Overall Sentiment: -0.0881699

Relevance: 0.391728

Disambiguation: Location | PoliticalDistrict | AdministrativeDivision | GovernmentalJurisdiction | USStateReferences:

HealthCondition: meningitis

Overall Sentiment: -0.415729

Relevance: 0.455877

FieldTerminology: federal law

Overall Sentiment: 0

Relevance: 0.318721

Drug: methylprednisolone

Overall Sentiment: 0.223987

Relevance: 0.308931

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