Do You Want Your Tax Dollars Funding a ''Better'' FDA?
October 10 2006
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A coalition of industry, consumer and patient groups, along with the last three secretaries of the U.S. Health and Human Services department, have joined forces to lobby for more money for the Food and Drug Administration. The lobbying group has named itself the Coalition for a Stronger FDA.
The group was formed just three days after an FDA-commissioned Institute of Medicine report called for "substantially increased resources" in funds and personnel for the agency.
The report asserted that the FDA needs to pay more attention to the safety of drugs once they are already on the market, which would require both increased funding and regulatory authority.
The reports also recommended that new pharmaceutical products should carry a special symbol to warn that not all side effects should be known, and that the FDA should evaluate all safety and effectiveness data for new drugs that come out within five years of their approval.