U.S.: FDA head suspends plans to close field labs

U.S.: FDA head suspends plans to close field labs


www.chinaview.cn 2007-08-02 21:07:05 Print

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- The Food and Drug Administration's commissioner has suspended plans to close more than half the agency's field laboratories while awaiting recommendations from a presidential panel about how to better guarantee the safety of imported food and other products.

Dr. Andrew von Eschenback said Wednesday he wanted to make sure the FDA was "doing the right thing and doing it in the right way" before proceeding.

President Bush established the Import Safety Working Group on July 18 and asked for recommendations in 60 days.

"Once we have the benefit of that information, we can come back again to the more fundamental question of how do we create a field operation that is adapted to and equipped to manage the converging challenges and converging complexities of our ability to ensure the quality of the products that FDA regulates," von Eschenbach explained.

Democratic Reps. John Dingell and Bart Stupak of Michigan sent von Easchenbach a letter Tuesday asking if the purpose of the lab closures was to privatize the testing of imported foods. They cited a pilot program to assess doing just that.

Von Eschenbach denied the closures were part of an outsourcing plan. Later, however, he said the agency would consider certifying or credentialing private labs to do some testing work. He further suggested the FDA could collaborate more with Customs and Border Protection and the states in policing imports.

(Agencies)


Editor: Gareth Dodd