Health
FDA has plan to boost drug safety
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 19, 2007
The Food and Drug Administration responded Jan. 30 to recommendations made in an Institute of Medicine report last fall with a number of planned steps to improve its monitoring of the nation's drug supply.
The steps include strengthening the science behind the drug approval process, piloting a follow-up procedure for reviewing the safety of newly approved drugs and communicating products' risks more effectively.
The AMA commended the agency's plans. "We share the FDA's viewpoint that improving the drug safety system should not come at the expense of stifling innovation," said AMA Chair-elect Edward Langston, MD, RPh. "The AMA agrees that the approaches used to communicate information to patients about risk associated with drug products need significant improvement."
Dr. Langston also welcomed the intention to strengthen the science that supports the drug approval process and the planned improvements to the agency's operations and management.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/02/19/hlbf0219.htm.
