FDA Lays Out Plan To Ensure Quality Of Science At Agency

EasyBourse actualit: "Acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Frank Torti on Tuesday laid out a series of plans aimed at ensuring that the quality of science at the agency is robust.

A large part of that plan includes continuing recruitment efforts to bring talented people to the agency via a fellowship program and other initiatives. The FDA has been drastically understaffed and underfunded in the last several years, and critics say this deluge has made it difficult for the FDA to properly operate."

The FDA also provided its Science Board with an update on the agency's safety review of Bisphenol-A, or BPA, a chemical that hardens plastic and is commonly found in plastic baby bottles. The agency is planning to analyze and conduct a series of studies to determine how the chemical affects babies and whether current levels found in medical devices, such as in dental products, are safe. 

Many of the studies and analyses would take years to complete. 

Several environmental groups criticized the agency during a public comment period for continuing to study the issue as opposed to making a decision. Canada, taking what FDA officials describe as an "abundantly cautious" stance, has decided to remove baby products containing BPA from the market. 

The FDA has frequently said that it can't just follow Canada's lead and must come to its own conclusion regarding the chemical's safety. Torti said the agency "could make a regulatory decision tomorrow" regarding the chemical's safety if strong enough data comes out showing the chemical isn't safe at current levels of exposure found in products such as baby bottles and food cans.