von Eschenbach Requests Funds
The Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Andrew C. von Eschenbach, sent a letter to Congress requesting an immediate cash infusion for the agency. He requested $275 million to support safety of medical devices, drugs, and foods, as reported by the New York Times.
The letter was sent to Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA). Included within the text is a detailed plan for expenditure of the funds. Planned spending includes increasing the number of inspections, construction of new database to track hazards associated with drug therapies, and the opening new international offices. In the letter to the Senator, he noted that his request did not consider the current budget proposal from the President.
The letter was in response to a previous request from Mr. Specter to detail the amount of money requested, which has been requested by other Senators while Dr. von Eschenbach has been called to testify at Capitol Hill. At that time, the Senator noted the dire straits of the agency and his willingness to advocate for immediate dispersal of funding.
In recent months, Dr. von Eschenbach has stirred some controversy, which has been noted on HospitalBuyer. He has cited the inability of the agency to fulfill its mission secondary to limited resources. He has been increasingly outspoken about the budget proposed by President Bush for FY 2009 and has been criticized by legislators for oversight failures by the FDA.
Both the House and Senate have already reworked the agency’s proposed funds for the coming fiscal year. In fact, the Senate Appropriations Commitee held hearings concerning the lack of funds.
May 20, 2008 Related topics: Legal & legislative, Standards, Quality, Safety, Errors, Industry & Market