US Congress gives billions of dollars to FDA
known as the "Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug
Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002.
US President Bush this week signed into law the H.R.2333- otherwise known as the "Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002.
For the first time in several years the US Congress has provided a budget for the Food and Drug Administration over and above increases requested for the Salaries and Expense account.
US$15 million will be earmarked to protect consumers against the new variant Creutzfeldt- Jakob Disease, a fatal illness associated with consumption of meat from cows with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). The funds were provided to keep BSE, the "Mad Cow Disease," out of the United States.
Other highlights include: $10.3 million to prevent substandard food and health care products from reaching the U.S. market by increasing plant inspections and expanding surveillance of regulated imports; $9.4 million to upgrade food safety by expanding the Food Safety Initiative beyond microbiological contaminants to cover chemical and physical food hazards; $10 million to safeguard patients against adverse events associated with the use of drugs, biological agents and medical devices by improving FDA's system for monitoring marketed products;$10 million to protect the human subjects and research data in clinical trials by increasing FDA's inspections.
Congress also provided $10.5 million in additional funding without impacting the President's budget request. Earmarks include $ 3.0 million for Dietary Supplements; $2.5 million for generic drug review and education; $1.0 million for Orphan Drug Grants and, $0.5 million for a gene therapy data base; $3.0 million for activities related to antibiotic drugs; and, $0.5 million to develop a database focused on woman's health issues.
