Sarah Jane Tribble
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U.S. drug agency moves to guard against abuse of ‘orphan drug’ program
The Food and Drug Administration is changing the way it approves medicines known as 'orphan drugs' after revelations that drugmakers may be abusing a law intended to help patients with rare diseases.

U.S. drug agency moves to guard against abuse of ‘orphan drug’ program
Pharma teams up with rare-disease advocacy groups on Capitol Hill
Critics say vulnerable patients are being manipulated and the goals promoted are skewed by the pharma benefactors who want faster government approval for new products.

Pharma teams up with rare-disease advocacy groups on Capitol Hill
U.S. government plans to probe orphan drug program
Acting on a request from three influential U.S. senators, the government’s accountability arm confirmed that it will investigate potential abuses of the Orphan Drug Act.

U.S. government plans to probe orphan drug program
Senators call for investigation into possible abuses of Orphan Drug Act
Building on weeks of mounting pressure to address high prescription drug prices, three influential U.S. senators have asked the government’s accountability arm to probe the orphan drug program for potential misuse.

Senators call for investigation into possible abuses of Orphan Drug Act
Former head of FDA concerned about faster drug approvals
Robert Califf, the just-departed commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, offers his take on the Trump administration's plans to speed up drug approvals and dramatically reduce regulations at the agency.

Former head of FDA concerned about faster drug approvals
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Chris Rozell explains how brain stimulation and AI are helping to treat mental disorders
Rozell and his colleagues, using deep brain stimulation and explainable artificial intelligence, have developed tools to help people with treatment-resistant depression.
Chris Rozell explains how brain stimulation and AI are helping to treat mental disorders
Rozell and his colleagues, using deep brain stimulation and explainable artificial intelligence, have developed tools to help people with treatment-resistant depression.
This paper changed my life: Abigail Person on birdsong, feed-forward circuits and convergent computations
By isolating specific neuron types involved in zebra finch birdsong, this 2002 Nature paper from Michael Fee and colleagues revealed elegant neural mechanisms controlling the timing of natural learned behavior.

This paper changed my life: Abigail Person on birdsong, feed-forward circuits and convergent computations
By isolating specific neuron types involved in zebra finch birdsong, this 2002 Nature paper from Michael Fee and colleagues revealed elegant neural mechanisms controlling the timing of natural learned behavior.
Prosocial effects of oxytocin are state dependent; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 11 August.

Prosocial effects of oxytocin are state dependent; and more
Here is a roundup of autism-related news and research spotted around the web for the week of 11 August.