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Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Cuts at FDA Jeopardize Stomachs, Security

Amid high profile food safety crises such as the spinach contamination of 2006 and recent salmonella tainted peanut butter, the FDA has been reducing its commitment to food safety, according to an Associated Press article.

There are 12 percent fewer FDA employees in field offices who concentrate on food issues.
Safety tests for U.S.-produced food have dropped nearly 75 percent, from 9,748 in 2003 to 2,455 last year, according to the agency's own statistics.

The article also reminds us food safety is a legitimate homeland security concern:

After the Sept. 11 attacks, the FDA, at the urging of Congress, increased the number of food inspectors and inspections amid fears that the nation's food system was vulnerable to terrorists. Inspectors and inspections spiked in 2003, but now both have fallen enough to erase the gains.

One wonders if the pullout of FDA employees has emboldened the enemy.

Posted by Matt Madia, 01:41:21 PM

Politics Makes Strange Bedfellows ... Then Enjoys a Smoke

Roll Call (subscription) ran an article this morning discussing the lobbying efforts aimed at the tobacco regulation bills currently in both chambers of Congress. In addition to the tobacco industry, the Petroleum Marketing Association of America and three advertising industry coalitions oppose the bill, according to the article.

Why would seemingly disinterested parties oppose a common sense bill to regulate tobacco products? Because gas station owners make big money by selling cigarettes, and advertising companies make big money by promoting them. As if Big Tobacco is not enough of a force in Washington, now it's lining up its friends.

Nonetheless, the bill moves forward. One of the Senate sponsors, Ted Kennedy, chairs a committee hearing on the bill today. As the Roll Call article points out, no industry representatives are scheduled to testify. Stay tuned to Reg Watch for more.

Posted by Matt Madia, 10:36:38 AM

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Latest Watcher

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Reg policy articles this time:

Congress Holds Hearings on Bush's Changes to Regulatory Process

FDA Drug Approval Process under Scrutiny

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Growing Furor over CPSC Vacancy

As Reg Watch blogged last week, a commissioner vacancy has weakened the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) has introduced legislation to fix the problem, and a recent Washington Post column and New Standard article are drawing more attention to the issue. Public interest groups are going on the record and the public is realizing America needs a fully-functioning CPSC to protect citizens from hazardous products.

When will President Bush respond by making the commissioner appointment and ending the manipulation of this independent agency?

Posted by Matt Madia, 04:19:43 PM

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Bipartisan Tobacco Regulation Bills Introduced

As promised, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), along with Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), last week introduced legislation that would dramatically improve the regulation of tobacco products. Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Tom Davis (R-VA) introduced a companion bill in the House.

Among other provisions the legislation would:

Place tobacco regulation under the purview of the FDA;
Crack down on tobacco advertising targeted at youths;
Increase the size of warning labels;
Prohibit the use of the terms "light," "low," and "mild;" and
Prohibit the sale of "cigarettes characterized by strawberry, cinnamon, grape, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, vanilla, mint and other flavors" (presumably menthols).

Currently, tobacco is one of the few industries that is largely unregulated. A recent Harvard study found tobacco levels in cigarettes are steadily rising, thus proving America needs government regulators to step in. The bills are a common sense approach to solving some serious problems, and already enjoy bipartisan support. This legislation should quickly move through Congress and immediately be signed by President Bush.

Posted by Matt Madia, 10:31:14 AM

Thursday, February 15, 2007

White House Disregard for Product Safety

We have become used to President Bush appointing friends and others of like-minded ideology to important agency posts. Now it seems as though the White House has made a new friend — vacancy.

As BNA news service (subscription) reports this morning, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) — an independent agency charged with protecting the American public from dangerous products — can no longer promulgate new regulations. CPSC has been dealing with a commissioner vacancy since July 2006 and, under agency rules, no longer possesses the voting quorum necessary to regulate on behalf of public safety. President Bush hasn't nominated a new commissioner, severely diminishing CPSC's power.

This lapse, combined with proposed budget cuts to CPSC, tells the American people that product safety is not a priority of this administration. Sen. Mark Pryor (D-AR) is pushing for legislation to allow CPSC to operate without a quorum for another six months, but this will only be a temporary fix. The White House ought to be ashamed of its underhanded attempts to delay product safety regulation.

Posted by Matt Madia, 12:09:30 PM

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Congressional Democrats Push for Better Food Safety

Today, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced the Safe Food Act. Among other things, the legislation would create a new agency in charge of food safety and labeling. According to the Center for Science and the Public Interest, "Currently, food safety monitoring, inspection, and labeling functions are spread across 12 federal agencies." The bill would also improve the ability of regulators to trace back food borne illnesses to their source.

Posted by Matt Madia, 06:02:19 PM

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

FDA Helpless in Regulating Drug Industry

The New Standard reports that neither the FDA nor the pharmaceutical industry have proven the safety of hundreds of drugs already approved for the market. How does such a regulatory gaff occur? From the article by Michelle Chen:

Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the FDA can approve drugs despite unresolved safety concerns, but it can also require further studies by the manufacturer once a drug is released onto the market.

The problem is manufacturers aren't holding up their end of the bargain. According to an FDA notice in the Federal Register, for FY 2006, 71 percent of the required further studies are pending and 3 percent are delayed. Meanwhile, only 15 percent are ongoing and a mere 11 percent have been submitted.

Posted by Matt Madia, 04:23:06 PM

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Bush Budget Attacks the Environment and Product Safety

Yesterday, President Bush released his budget for FY 2008. Many of the president's budgetary priorities are hostile toward Americans, but three will particularly hinder the federal government's ability to regulate.

Bush is calling for a $300 million slash in the EPA's budget. In a press statement, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson defended the cut, proving he is more interested in toeing the administration line than sticking up for his own agency or protecting the environment.
Bush is also continuing his war on climate science by cutting the budget of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) by seven percent, according to BNA news service (subscription).
Finally, Bush is calling for only a nominal increase in the budget of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the independent agency that is charged with recalling potentially dangerous products. The increase amounts to a budget cut when adjusted for inflation. According to BNA, the proposal includes calls for the lowest staffing levels in the agency's history.