Food and Drug Administration and the FDA Transparency Task Force

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Food and Drug Administration and the FDA Transparency Task Force
By Disabled World

Outlines the role of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the FDA Transparency Task Force blog...

What is the FDA?

The FDA is an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It consists of six product centers, one research center, and two offices. The FDA is the government agency responsible for regulating food, dietary supplements, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, biologics and blood products in the United States of America.

The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.

The U.S. FDA regulates:

* foods, except for most meat and poultry products, which are regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
* food additives
* infant formulas
* dietary supplements
* human drugs
* vaccines, blood products, and other biologics
* medical devices, from simple items like tongue depressors, to complex technologies such as heart pacemakers
* electronic products that give off radiation, such as microwave ovens and X-ray equipment
* cosmetics
* feed, drugs, and devices used in pets, farm animals, and other animals
* tobacco products

The FDA is also responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations that make medicines and foods more effective, safer, and more affordable; and helping the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medicines and foods to improve their health.

How do I report a problem with a FDA-regulated product?

There are several ways you can report problems to FDA:

* Call the FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator for your geographic region.
* Report to FDA’s MedWatch program any product problems or unexpected side effects (adverse events) that occur while using drugs, medical devices, dietary supplements, infant formulas, cosmetics, and blood products and other biologics (except for vaccines) either online, by regular mail, by fax, or by phone.
* Report a vaccine-related illness or injury to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) or call 1-800-822-7967 to request a reporting form.

FDA Transparency Task Force:

The Transparency Task Force is actively seeking input from the public about issues related to transparency and will work to identify what information the public most wants FDA to be transparent about. View some of the interesting replies at the FDA Transparency Task Force blog (fdatransparencyblog.fda.gov/2009/06/the-transparency-task-forces-first-question.html).

Is it Legal to Import Drugs into the U.S. - Article examines the legality of importing prescription drugs into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico.

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