FDA Gets More Transparent
As part of the Obama administration's open government initiative, the Food and Drug Administration Tuesday launched the first phase of its three-part initiative to help the public better understand the agency, how it works and how it goes about its mission of regulating food, drugs and medical devices.
As part of the first phase, FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein unveiled a new feature, known as FDA Basics, on the FDA's Web site that provides details on what the agency does and introduces users to some of its top officials, including providing videos of interviews with key FDA personnel. For example, it explains how a product gains FDA approval, how to file a complaint or get information about product or food recalls. In addition, the agency also will host online question-and-answer sessions on various topics. The transparency initiative was developed after receiving more than 900 comments on how to improve the agency's transparency and interaction with the public, Sharfstein said in a conference call with reporters.
"I think this is a step toward making the FDA a more open and transparent agency," he said.
The other two phases being developed by FDA's transparency task force will include recommendations on how to make more information about the agency's activities more transparent, useful and understandable while also protecting confidential information when appropriate. The third phase will involve recommendations on how to make the agency's process more transparent to the industries the FDA regulates. Sharfstein noted some industry commentators said they would like a better sense of where their applications stand in the approval process.
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