FDA Testifies Before House Subcommittee and more

Advocacy at a Glance offers you the bullet point summary of current advocacy issues associated with the goals of the Alliance for a Stronger FDA.

• FDA Testifies Before House Subcommittee. On Wednesday, February 29, FDA Commissioner Hamburg testified before House Subcommittee on Agriculture/FDA appropriations. Chairman Jack Kingston welcomed the Commissioner and praised the Commissioner for an FY 13 budget request that is "lean, focused, and responsible given the current fiscal environment" (see Chairman Kingston's opening statement). In turn, the Commissioner thanked the subcommittee for the  recent increases in FDA funding and pointed out how the funding resulted in concrete public health improvements and other tangible result, including the approval of a record number of innovative drugs, helping to reduce  health care costs and providing clear and transparent regulations and guidances. She emphasized that "the federal investment in FDA is small compared to the breadth of our mission and the $2 trillion in products that we regulate"  (see Commissioner Hamburg's testimony).

• Hill Meetings. Next week the Alliance is scheduled to meet with staff from several member offices regarding FDA’s FY 13 funding. The Alliance will continue its meetings with key decision makers on the Hill in the weeks to come.

• 2012 Stronger FDA Hill Day: March 28.  Please save the date. The Annual Stronger FDA Hill Day will be held on March 28th.  We are planning for an extraordinary day of advocacy in support of increased FDA funding. This year’s Hill Day will be extra important given the intense downward budgetary pressures. Please save the date and look for more details soon. If you plan on participating, please RSVP by e-mailing Tony Curry.