Hurray for FDA
Jul 31, 202069.4K Shares977.8K Views
The New York Timesand The Washington Postpraise FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach for finally saying what everyone was thinking– his agency needs a lot more money, .
But did the FDA chief intend for his cash request to be made public?
Both parties in Congress have slammed the FDA over the past few months for being under-resourced and overwhelmed, particularly when it comes to monitoring drug imports. On May 1, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) wrote to Eschenbach asking him how much in his "professional judgment" the agency needed to get back on track. Eschenbach responded saying that $275 million would be enough to increase foreign inspections, build offices in China and generally modernize an agency which files handwritten reportsabout drug hazards.
Last Wednesday, the Times published Eschenbach’s letter. Two days later, the Senate committee that controls FDA funds acted, adding on $275 million to the agency’s next budget.
But in "seeing the light" as the Times put it, Eschenbach had to defy the budget wishes of his boss, President Bush. Did Eschenbach think the best way to do this was to write a letter and have it leaked? Or did Specter, or someone in his office, leak the note?
I’ll have more if Specter or the FDA returns with a comment. If the whole thing was indeed planned by Eschenbach it’s an interesting strategy agency heads might want to deploy in defying the president. Maybe Stephen Johnson at EPA is taking notes.
Rhyley Carney
Reviewer
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