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Dr. Hamburg’s Speech to the Alliance for a Stronger FDA

The Alliance for a Stronger FDA is the primary advocate for strengthening FDA through increased appropriations. It is a multi-stakeholder group that represents consumers, patient groups, health professionals, research advocacy organizations, trade associations and companies.

The Alliance was privileged to have Commissioner Hamburg address its quarterly member meeting on July 22.

She thanked the Alliance for the important work it is doing. She paid tribute to the Alliance’s success in building consensus among a widely diverse group of stakeholders around increased funding for FDA. She specifically mentioned information technology (IT) as one of the areas where the Alliance has given visibility to an important agency need.

Dr. Hamburg spoke at length about the key challenges facing FDA and her priorities.  

Improving the Public Health. FDA is going to measure success in terms of public health outcomes. Because of the agency’s unique and critical mission and historic underfunding, the new approach will explicitly link budget requests to achieving public health goals.

Increasing and Strengthening FDA’s Regulatory Science Capacity. FDA needs stronger support for regulatory science and its science base. Investment and improvement must go together in regulatory science. This requires the agency to hire more expert regulatory scientists and collaborate more broadly with the scientific community outside the agency.

Meeting the demands that globalization places on the FDA mission to ensure the safety of food, drugs and devices. Not only must FDA develop a stronger scientific base, but scientific expertise must be available on a global basis.

Implementing the new tobacco regulation.  FDA is currently planning a tobacco center and in the process of hiring 600 staff. No other FDA components will be forced to make cuts as a result of the added tobacco responsibilities.

Creating readiness against a global pandemic. FDA is working on the lab tests, drugs and vaccines needed to respond to H1/NI and other strains of influenza. FDA will need significant resources to be successful because the job is both complex and unpredictable.

Dr. Hamburg made a number of other observations:

  • FDA is trying to recreate its capacity to react and prevent crises, but is constrained by resources.
  • The recent GAO report documenting resource and management problem has the full attention of the agency.
  • Food safety legislation would help to close the gaps in the current systems and create more preventive controls. This also creates resource concerns, although a safer food supply is a job that must be done.
  • FDA has to hire a large number of people and this is a lengthy process.  Human resources at FDA is central to putting new resources to work.
  • FDA must rethink how it is doing many of its activities, including inspections. There is a need for more specialization within a more specialized workforce.

Although this is a report on an Alliance meeting, FDA Matters and the Alliance for a Stronger FDA are not affiliated. This blog represents my personal views and insights as a regulatory consultant and long-term FDA watcher. It is a product of my company, HPS Group, LLC.

Steven

DISCLOSURE: I was one of the founders of the Alliance and serve as its Deputy Executive Director. It is a multi-stakeholder group that represents consumers, patient groups, health professionals, research advocacy organizations, trade associations and companies.

If you are concerned about the future of FDA, I urge you or your organization to join the Alliance for a Stronger FDA. Please contact me about membership at sgrossman@StrengthenFDA.org. .

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