National Center for Health Research

03/13/2026

For the first time in 9 months, the FDA is holding a cancer Advisory Committee meeting this April to discuss two AstraZeneca drugs for breast and prostate cancer.

Nuanced scientific analyses have been lacking in recent FDA "expert panels."

NCHR President Diana Zuckerman told reporters this panel should include more diversity of opinion than has been seen recently.

Cancer patients deserve rigorous, transparent reviews with solid evidence.

The FDA's cancer advisors will discuss AstraZeneca’s application for the oral SERD camizestrant in breast cancer and the AKT inhibitor Truqap in prostate cancer.

03/13/2026

A Gallup poll reveals that one-third of Americans are skipping meals or cutting daily spending in order to afford health care.

According to the poll, 11% of respondents skipped a meal to pay for medical care, and 15% borrowed money or took fewer pills to make their prescription last longer. Half of middle-income households report delaying major life events like buying a home, having children, or retiring because of medical expenses.

No one should have to choose between health care and putting food on the table, or important life events like having children, buying a home, or retiring.

About half of middle-income households said they have delayed a major life event because of medical costs, new Gallup polls found.

03/12/2026

Thank you to the Nantucket Current for publishing NCHR President Dr. Diana Zuckerman's letter to the editor based on her letter to the Nantucket Board of Health warning residents about the serious health and environmental risks of artificial turf.

Nantucket deserves the best, and that's well-installed natural grass!

Nantucket Current is the island's leading online news source. We deliver the news, stories, and people of Nantucket, unbiased and unfiltered.

03/12/2026

Thank you to the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror for publishing NCHR President Dr. Diana Zuckerman's letter to the Nantucket Board of Health warning residents about the serious health and environmental risks of artificial turf.

Natural grass helps protect Nantucket's children and environment!

I am writing at the urging of concerned residents regarding the health and environmental impact of installing artificial turf at Nantucket High School. I am the president of the National

03/11/2026

A study shows pacifiers can release a toxic chemical called BPA. BPA disrupts hormones and can cause hormone and developmental problems.

Shockingly, the highest levels of BPA leaching were found in pacifiers labeled "BPA-free.”

While BPA is banned in baby bottles and sippy cups, pacifiers have not been regulated with the same safety restrictions.That's probably because BPA is not usually in soft plastic materials.

BPA was not expected in the silicone or latex used for pacifiers but it was there! We need to safeguard all products used by infants and toddlers.



https://usrtk.org/healthwire/pacifiers-bpa-babies/

03/11/2026

A new survey shows declining public trust in federal health leadership.

According to the survey, Americans say they trust career scientists and independent medical groups more than the political appointees running federal health agencies.

Many respondents also say they are more likely to follow vaccine guidance from professional organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics than from the CDC. We agree!

These findings raise important questions about public confidence in vaccine policy and scientific guidance. How can public health institutions rebuild trust? How will people know which advice to follow?

The new findings come after the Trump administration in January took the unprecedented step of overhauling the CDC’s routine childhood immunization schedule.

03/10/2026

Families in Montclair NJ asked us to review the artificial turf language in their town's sustainability and climate resiliency plan, so we sent a letter to the Township Council.

We explained the many dangers of installing these expensive plastic fields:

Health risks: In warm weather, artificial turf reaches temperatures over 160 degrees. Did you know that heat illness is a leading cause of preventable death in high school athletes?

Environmental risks: Installing plastic carpets directly undermines the town's climate resilience goals. Turf companies claim that changing the field's "infill" material will fix the dangerous heat island effect, but it only lowers it a few degrees -- not enough to solve the problem.

Unrecyclable waste: After 8 to 12 years, these fields are no longer functional. They cannot be recycled and simply end up in landfills, creating recurring municipal expenses and contaminating land, water, and air!

We urge Montclair leaders to rely on independent science to protect their community and choose natural grass. We provided the evidence!

NCHR letter to Montclair Township Council explains health, environmental, and climate concerns about artificial turf; urges prioritization of natural grass.

03/10/2026

We often speak at FDA public advisory committee meetings so we know there have been very few in the last year. Instead, the FDA is making controversial decisions about drugs and medical devices behind closed doors.

NCHR President Dr. Diana Zuckerman spoke to STAT News about this alarming lack of transparency.

She pointed out that the FDA is actively avoiding experts who disagree with what the agency has already decided to do.

This is unfair to patients and to public health experts who have insight into the risks and benefits of new medical products and who want to help FDA make evidence-based decisions.

We need to hear diverse scientific opinions, not fake panels.

The FDA is cutting back on public advisory committee meetings, even as the public and other stakeholders seek more transparency.

03/09/2026

Colon cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death for people under 50.

Why? The exact cause is unclear, but research suggests obesity, less physical activity, and ultraprocessed foods all contribute.

These and other changes affect the bacteria in the gut microbiome, which affects our health in many ways.

Colon cancer screening used to be recommended to start at age 50 and older, but younger colon cancer deaths have changed that recommendation.

How young are the people diagnosed at under age 50?

Half are aged 45 to 49, so it's now recommended to start screening by age 45—or sooner if you have symptomsor your family members have had colon cancer.

Overall, cancer death rates in people younger than 50 have dropped by 44% since 1990. Only colorectal cancer deaths have increased.

03/09/2026

We explain that the latest news at FDA shows industry pressure.

With FDA biologics chief Dr. Vinay Prasad resigning, NCHR President Diana Zuckerman is quoted in the New York Times, noting that this is a major loss for FDA, patients, and evidence-based medicine.

She warned that the FDA’s increasingly "flexible" standards for approving unproven medical products are creating an unsustainable healthcare system, driving up costs for health insurance and Medicare.

We are all paying for ineffective therapies, including many patients that are urging those flexible standards.

Dr. Vinay Prasad drew criticism for overriding career scientists and rejecting drugs by companies seeking agency approval.

03/07/2026

Families in Nantucket asked us to advocate for them against a proposed artificial turf field at the high school, so we sent a letter to the Board of Health and other local officials.

We explained the dangers of these expensive plastic fields:

Health risks: The plastic grass exposes kids to toxic chemicals, microplastics, and extreme heat, while drastically increasing limb injuries and possibly concussions. (That's why so many professional athletes oppose them!)

Environmental risks: The toxic runoff is a direct threat to most of the island's drinking water aquifer.

Unrecyclable waste: After a few years these fields are no longer functional or are dangerously hard, but they cannot be recycled and end up in landfills. That adds to the environmental harm!

We urge officials to protect their beautiful community and choose natural grass.

NCHR letter to the Nantucket Board of Health responds to proposal for BrockFill turf field and explains the dangers of artificial turf for the community.

03/06/2026

We are in the news!

NCHR President Dr. Diana Zuckerman spoke with BioSpace about FDA's alarmingly one-sided approach to evaluating the risks of antidepressants during pregnancy, as well as other medications.

FDA's new Director of drug evaluation,Tracy Beth Høeg, is reportedly looking to hire her friend Adam Urato, whose citizen’s petition urges FDA to add a boxed warning (the most urgent type of FDA warning) about the risks of SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy.

As Dr. Zuckerman pointed out about recent FDA one-sided "expert panel" meetings: "They didn’t want any nuance. It seemed they didn’t want any real difference of opinion."

When FDA leadership stacks the deck, patients only hear opinions rather than facts. Patients don't know what to believe. That harms patients and the FDA's credibility.



https://www.center4research.org/biospace-fda-hoeg-hires-anti-ssri-friend/