In a White House interview which aired Monday, President Obama announced he will order a complete review of FDA operations. Coming after the salmonella outbreak linked to tainted peanut butter which sickened over 500 people and is linked to 8 deaths, this overhaul will surely also include the drug related half of the agency.
Obama said that there were numerous incidents which should have been caught by the FDA but were not found in time. Critics have accused the Bush Administration of cutting the FDA budget to the point making it no longer able to properly respond to threats to public safety. Obamas announcement of an overhaul of the FDA will be well received as food safety is a hot button issue for Americans. The question remains: How will this overview effect the drug regulatory agencies attached to the FDA? Obama has already announced the lifting of Bush's ban on new lines for human embryonic stem cell trials.
The economic stimulus package awaiting vote by the Senate, includes $1.1 billion funding to study the effectiveness of healthcare treatments. The FDA has also requested access to more records during routine food inspections in response to the peanut butter recalls.
The position of FDA head is currently needing to be filled. Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, the Baltimore health commissioner, has been floated as one posible choice. Obama has been advised to select an agency outsider to the position of FDA head. Sharfstein is current Baltimore health commissioner. Congressional Representative Bart Stupak of Michigan, a member of the panel that oversees the FDA, has said that he is opposed to the appointment of any current FDA employee to the position of FDA head. Stupak has previously said that the agency needs a top-to-bottom overhaul. Obama's news conference this weekend shows that he is in agreement.
