Trending News Today: Medicaid Begins to Offer Long-acting Contraception

The FDA has said that 12 hospitals have not been reporting patient deaths or injuries associated with medical devices as quickly as they should be. These injuries or deaths must be reported within 10 days of the incident to prevent additional injuries resulting from the device. These hospitals may not be the only offenders, since hospital staff are often unaware of regulations, or not trained to comply with device reporting requirements, according to California Healthline.

Some Medicaid programs are starting to offer mothers long-acting contraception, such as an intrauterine device or an implant, right after they give birth. This form of contraception is much more effective than other methods, but may be difficult to obtain for this population since it is expensive, and requires multiple trips to the physician, The New York Times reported. By offering this form of contraception in the hospital, it allows new mothers to prevent any unintended pregnancies without the extra steps.

The FDA has rejected a Sanofi-Regeneron rheumatoid arthritis drug due to deficiencies discovered at a Sanofi facility in France. In response to the inspection results, Regeneron said that the facility only fills the syringes, and it has nothing to do with the safety or efficacy of the drug, according to The Wall Street Journal. Sanofi has also said that the companies have submitted a plan to fix the problems found during the inspection.