It’s mind-boggling to me that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration oversees items accounting for 25 cents of every consumer dollar spent. That’s a lot of stuff. The FDA’s purview includes everything from prescription drugs to produce, from cosmetics to infant formula.
Photo: Flickr user e-magic
But does the agency fully utilize independent science when carrying out its public protection mandate?
Next year, Congress has to debate and reauthorize the Prescription Drug User Fee Act and the Medical Device User Fee and Modernization Act, which govern how drugs and medical devices are evaluated before they are approved and monitored after they reach the market. So we thought it was a good idea to gather a series of experts to talk about how we can improve the ability of the FDA ensure that new and existing prescription drugs and medical devices are safe and effective.
Tune in online tomorrow for all or part of FDA at Crossroads, a full-day conference held here in Washington, D.C. and co-sponsored by UCS and George Washington University. To ensure that you are able to connect smoothly, please register in advance.
The conference kicks off at 9:00 a.m. with a keynote address by FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg. Four panels will follow throughout the day, addressing patient safety, drug and device efficacy, scientific integrity, and institutional challenges at the agency.
And here’s the cool part: webcast participants will be able to ask questions of all of the speakers. So start thinking of questions for Dr. Hamburg or any of the panelists.
You can also follow the conversation and ask questions of the panelists in real time via Twitter by using hashtag #FDACROSS.