As the agency celebrates its 100th anniversary, what do Congress and others have in store?
By Ted Agres
The Food and Drug Administration celebrated its first century in 2006, but as 2007 begins, it is also stepping into the cross-hairs of a new Democratic Congress. Bolstered by a public that seems increasingly worried about the FDA's ability to protect it, the Congress is eager to leave its mark on the agency. "There is a confluence of legislation in the coming year," says Scott Gottlieb, deputy FDA commissioner for medical and scientific affairs. "There are some big, must-pass bills, and that will create an environment where a lot of people will be proposing a lot of different ideas."
Key among the FDA reform bills will be legislation by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) to give additional resources to the FDA's drug safety office and make it structurally independent ...
