Today’s dose features a grave reminder for vaccination. There’s also news on cancer patients feeling the pain of insurance, and the discovery of new painkiller targets. Lastly, the US Food and Drug Administration shakes up the evaluation of medical devices.

— The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is trying to boost people’s esteem of vaccines. As part of National Infant Immunization Week, the AAP has launched its “Protect Tomorrow” campaign, reminding people of the deadly diseases that plagued the country before vaccines were available. People featured in the public service announcements tell of suffering from polio and measles, they say, so history never repeats itself. (LATimes)

— Researchers studying rodents have identified two compounds, produced by the body itself, that appear to signal pain in response to heat. The study authors say that blocking these messenger compounds, potentially with antibodies, could lead to new pain medications for arthritis and cancer. (Reuters)

— Cancer patients are reportedly asking for ‘chemo parity’ in their treatments. While there are now both IV-infused and oral chemotherapy drugs available for many cancers, the latter are often prohibitively expensive and sometimes not covered by health plans. In response, states including Oregon and the District of Columbia have introduced laws mandating ‘chemo parity’ for the equal coverage of oral and IV chemotherapy. (WaPo)

— The US Food and Drug Administration is making changes to the way its medical device advisory committees go about their recommendations. Rather than voting on whether to recommend approval of a device, committee members will now evaluate a given product’s safety and efficacy separately from its risk and benefit. In a less innovative change, members will now cast ballots rather than raise their hands.

Image by wwarby via Flickr Creative Commons