FDA Advisors Declare 'FDA Science and Missio...( Broad-Ranging Report Concludes Th...),Health

Broad-Ranging Report Concludes That Increased Resources Are an Essential First Step

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The nation's public health is at risk, as are the regulatory systems that oversee the nation's drug and device supplies, according to an FDA Science Board report being presented at a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing today. The committee attributed the deficiencies to soaring demands on the FDA; and resources that have not increased in proportion to those demands. They conclude that "this imbalance is imposing a significant risk to the integrity of the food, drug, cosmetic and device regulatory system, and hence the safety of the public."

"Over the last decade, complex scientific advances, globalization and challenging new safety issues have combined to multiply the responsibilities of the FDA. As the FDA Science Board report makes clear: our expectations cannot exceed the resources we give FDA to accomplish its mission. In this regard, more is definitely better," commented Mark McClellan, MD, former FDA commissioner and chairman of the new Reagan-Udall Institute designed to enhance FDA's readiness for future scientific challenges.

The result of a year-long review by a distinguished panel of experts, the 300-page report concludes that the state of FDA's scientific and regulatory programs could not be separated from the lack of resources available to support the agency's scientific base, hire and train a broadly-capable scientific workforce, and build a sophisticated and modern information technology infrastructure.

"FDA can't improve its science, prepare for the future, or protect American consumers without significant additional resources," said Don Kennedy, PhD, former FDA commissioner and editor-in-chief of Science. "The Administration and Congress are starting now on the FDA's FY 2009 budget and must fix this critical problem."

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on
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