Recent news
March 2011
FDA head calls for bolstered regulatory efforts to ensure drug safety worldwide
March 1, 2011 -- “Ensuring the safety and quality of food and medical products has never been more complicated. Societies around the world face increasingly complex challenges that require harnessing the best available science and technology on behalf of patients and consumers,” US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg writes in a Science editorial. She adds, “This effort requires a strong field of regulatory science to develop new tools, standards, and approaches that efficiently and consistently assess the safety, efficacy, quality, and performance of products. Yet, despite being a critical component of the scientific enterprise, regulatory science has long been underappreciated and underfunded.”
According to Hamburg, the FDA is “prepared to lead the way in strengthening regulatory science and transforming toxicology. But this will require collaborations and partnerships with academia, industry, and other government agencies. Fortunately, this work has already begun.” For example, the FDA is partnering with the European Medicines Agency and the National Institutes of Health to enhance global and national regulatory efforts. “Ultimately, investments in regulatory science can lead to a new era of progress and safety. Because such investments will promote not only public health but also the economy, job creation, and global economic competitiveness, they have major implications for the nation's future,” Hamburg writes, concluding, “Policymakers, industry leaders, and the scientific community have the opportunity and the power to answer this call to action. It cannot wait any longer.” See the link below for more information.
