Wow. Since the last Weekly Roundup we have had about 7 inches of rain inside the Beltway. That is about twice the average for the entire month of May. Needless to say, we are soggy in Foggy Bottom and elsewhere in DC.
But on to FDA and pharma. Here is a bit of the interesting stuff from this week.
- Pumping out the Testimony on Capitol Hill – As was the case last week, there were lots of hearings that involved FDA and subsequently, a great deal of testimony has been added to the list on the FDA site. First of all, I would direct you to the statement of record before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform entitled – Should FDA Drug and Medical Device Regulation Bar State Liability Claims?" Then there was the testimony about the current concerns expressed about bisphenol-A, triggered by the action of the Canadian Health Authority and raising all sorts of alarm here about plastic bottles – this offered by Norris Alderson, Ph.D., Associate Commissioner For Science before the Subcommittee on Consumer Affairs, Insurance, and Automotive Safety Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation in the United States Senate entitled "Safety of Bisphenol-A" despite the fears to the contrary. Lastly, there was the statement of Stephen F. Sundlof, D.V.M., Ph.D., Center for Food Safety And Applied Nutrition before the Subcommittee on Health Committee on Energy and Commerce United States House of Representatives on “Discussion Draft of the ‘Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act’ Legislation: Device and Cosmetics Safety”. This just gives you an idea of the scrutiny and issues that is going on by our Congress. Tough love.
- Funding Needs for FDA Outlined by Commissioner – After the somewhat ridiculous exchange between Dr. von Eschenbach and Congressman Dingell recently, which you can see here on Eye on FDA, where the Congressman asked an intentionally complex question in a simple manner and then claimed it was a simple question, there is an outline made available by the Commissioner detailing the funding needs of the agency.
That’s it for me this week folks. Have a good weekend, and stay tuned for Monday when I hope to have a very interesting podcast for you.
