Regulatory Science Featured at NCTR Conference in Arkansas; Highlighted by Commissioner 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.

• Regulatory Science Featured at NCTR Conference in Arkansas; Highlighted by Commissioner.  Even FDA advocates don’t know as much as they should about the National Center for Toxicological  Research, which might be described as FDA’s center that is “not like the other ones.” Thanks to an international regulatory science conference held this week at NCTR headquarters in Arkansas, the world has had a chance to learn more about the center’s role in FDA research, advancing the agency’s regulatory mission and pivotal role in regulatory science.  For more background information on the NCTR conference please click here.

• Commissioner Directs Re-Assessment of FDA’s Organizational Structure.  As one might expect of any CEO with a rapidly growing organizational mission, insufficient resources, and a large number of challenges, Commissioner Hamburg has asked her senior staff to look at whether there might be more efficient and more effective ways to organize the agency’s activities and responsibilities. Her e-mail memo creating an internal group with a 3-month deadline for recommendation is available here.

• Continuing Resolution and Sequestration: Hot Topics But Confusing. In this week’s Analysis and Commentary, Alliance deputy executive director Steven Grossman looks at the continuing resolution circulated in the House this week. While domestic discretionary programs will generally do better under the CR than they would in the House-passed appropriations bills, FDA would do worse, at least in the short-term. Read his column to find out why.