Mike Leavitt, secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has announced that the Administration is amending its budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2009 to include an additional $275 million for the FDA. He called on Congress to act quickly on this budget amendment and pending Administration legislative proposals to strengthen FDA.
These funds would expedite implementation of the strategy outlined in the Action Plan for Import Safety and the Food Protection Plan, both released in Nov. 2007.
“Last year, we outlined important changes in how this nation deals with imports,” said Leavitt. “We are moving from an intervention strategy—where we stand at the border and try to catch things that are unsafe—to an integrated strategy of prevention with verification. We are rolling the borders back and seeking to build safety and quality into products at every step of the way before they reach American consumers.
“Combined with crucial legislative proposals, this increase will allow FDA to continue to transform its regulatory strategies to meet the challenges of the evolving global marketplace,” continued Leavitt. “I urge Congress to act quickly to give FDA the authority and funding it needs to enhance the safety of our food and medical products.”
Under the budget amendment, FDA will be able to expedite steps to improve import safety, including:
- Significantly expanding its reach beyond American borders by establishing a presence in five countries or regions and by implementing other measures that will help ensure greater foreign compliance with FDA standards;
- Expediting entry for goods bearing certification by trusted parties;
- Modernizing its information technology infrastructure;
- Conducting at least 1,000 more foreign inspections of food and medical product facilities and an additional 1,000 domestic inspections with funds in the budget amendment.
The increase brings the Administration’s total proposed increase in the FDA’s budget for FY 2009 to $404.7 million—a 17.8% boost in funding from FY 2008.
For complete details, see the press release on the HHS website.
