To help educate the public about medical device safety issues concerning Americans, Consumers Union’s Safe Patient Project will host a Twitter chat on medical devices on Friday, March 30 at 12pm CST using the hashtag #sppchat. The campaign invites any interested individuals to join the chat.
The medical device industry has been pushing Congress to scale back oversight, in order to promote innovation and make it easier to get new devices approved. According to a Consumer Reports poll, more than eight of 10 people said it was more important to prevent safety problems in the devices than it was to encourage innovation or avoid delays in getting them to market.
Recent problems with metal hip implants and surgical mesh have shown how our current system fails to ensure medical devices are safe and effective. The House and Senate draft bills to reauthorize the statute governing medical devices have been released. Recently, the FDA’s process for reviewing new implants has come under intense criticism. Join Consumers Union’s Twitter chat on Friday, March 30 for an informative discussion!
What: Twitter chat discussing medical device safety, Consumer Reports poll, Congressional legislation, and a forthcoming Consumer Reports article on medical devices.