Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Budget cuts FDA safety checks  USA Today story - "The Food and Drug Administration's proposed budget for next year includes cuts to nearly all its inspection programs, from checks on imported food to reviews of overseas plants that make prescription drugs bound for the USA. ... The reductions are included in a $1.9 billion budget that gives the agency an overall 4.5% increase. Increases are earmarked for several projects, including expansion of a network of labs to analyze food for bioterror agents and increasing staffing in the office that monitors the safety of prescription drugs once they hit the market."  
  

Bush Nominates FDA Acting Chief To Be Permanent Head of Agency Washington Post story - "Lester M. Crawford, who has been running the Food and Drug Administration as acting commissioner during a period when the agency was repeatedly buffeted by drug safety controversies and unprecedented internal dissent, was chosen yesterday by President Bush to be permanent head of the agency. The nomination was applauded by pharmaceutical industry trade organizations, which said Crawford brings deep experience and a cool head to the job. Lester M. Crawford, the acting FDA commissioner, has run the agency in a time of contention over drug safety. But some public-interest health groups, as well as some members of Congress, voiced deep reservations. They said Crawford has not aggressively attacked drug safety problems, has allowed some internal dissent to be stifled and has shown a tendency to buckle in the face of political pressure." [Viewing Washington Post stories requires registration, which is free.]