| December 4, 2004 | - Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson became the eighth member of Bush's fifteen-member cabinet to resign since Election Day. At a press conference, Thompson expressed concern about the FDA's flawed drug approval process, a possible global flu pandemic, and the vulnerability of the nation's food supply. "For the life of me," Thompson said, "I cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply, because it's so easy to do."
| Source:
New York Times
|
| August 26, 2004 | - The United States for the first time issued an outline for a plan for possible actions that might be taken to prepare to respond to an influenza pandemic.
| Source:
New York Times
|
| April 14, 2004 | - The Department of Health and Human Services held a hearing on the recent decision by Abbott Laboratories to quintuple the price of its essential AIDS drug Norvir, which used to cost about $1,500 a year but now costs $7,800.
| Source:
New York Times
|
| February 22, 2004 | -
Health and Human Services officials admitted that a report on racial and ethnic disparities in health care was altered to make it seem more upbeat. "There was a mistake made," said Secretary Tommy Thompson.
| Source:
New York Times
|
