Woodcock Webinar; FY23 Appropriations Minibus; and FDA Food Safety Programs face Congress and Independent Review
Top-Line
Principal Deputy Commissioner Woodcock to Address Alliance on Data, Technology, and Enterprise Modernization Plans: August 4 from 3:00 to 4:00.
House Adopts FY23 Appropriations Minibus Including Ag/FDA Funding.
Senate Ag/FDA Appropriations Committee Holds Hearing on Food Safety.
External Panel to Evaluate FDA Food Safety Programs and Tobacco Regulation.
Want to Know More About FDA? Alliance’s New Website Delivers.
This week’s Analysis and Commentary (below) is entitled: “Untangling FDA’s FY 23 Funding: Appropriations and User Fees Hit Peak Uncertainty.” It is an up-to-date account of the status and future path of FY23 FDA funding.
Principal Deputy Commissioner Woodcock to Address Alliance on Data, Technology, and Enterprise Modernization Plans: August 4 from 3:00 to 4:00. Dr. Woodcock will explain and provide updates on the 2019 Technology Modernization Action Plan (here); the 2021 Data Modernization Action Plan (here); and the 2022 Enterprise Modernization Action Plan (here).
Dr. Woodcock will also provide insight into how each of these action plans (individually and collectively) contribute to better decision making by FDA. Dr. Woodcock’s remarks will be open to Alliance members and media. (Register here). The Alliance welcomes guests at our events. If you are not an Alliance member and would like to attend, please contact Alliance Executive Director, Steven Grossman.
House Adopts FY23 Appropriations Minibus Including Ag/FDA Funding. The House on Wednesday, July 20, by a vote of 220-207 passed H.R. 8294, which combines funding from six subcommittee bills – Transportation, Housing and Urban Development; Agriculture, Rural Development; Energy and Water Development; Financial Services and General Government; Interior, Environment; Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs.
FDA funding is included in the Agriculture division of this bill. The House-passed bill mirrors the measure approved by the Appropriations Committee on June 23, 2022. Under the bill, BA (budget authority) funding for FDA would reach $3.645 billion, an increase of $341 million (10%) and slightly more than the President’s Request.
During floor consideration the House approved two amendments involving FDA. One would improve the review and approval of animal food ingredients. The other emphasizes the importance of finalizing the 2010 Proposed Rulemaking on pharmaceutical direct-to-consumer television ads.
We remind you that the House Appropriations Committee Report covers dozens of issues. The FDA report language in the FY 23 House bill runs twenty pages and includes items of interest to many FDA stakeholders.
Senate Ag/FDA Appropriations Committee Holds Hearing on Food Safety. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Related Agencies on Wednesday, July 20, held a hearing entitled “Food Safety and the Food and Drug Administration.” The hearing’s purpose was to elicit information from senior FDA leadership on their plans to improve food safety activities at FDA, and to solicit additional views regarding how FDA can improve these operations. There was notable discussion of the desirability of restoring a Deputy Commissioner for Foods.
The first panel was Dr. Califf and food leaders from FDA. The second panel was representatives of the Consumer Brands Association and Consumer Reports. Here is a link to a full 1500-word summary of the hearing, provided by Alliance advisor, Roger Szemraj of OFW Law.
External Panel to Evaluate FDA’s Food Safety Programs and Tobacco Regulation. Commissioner Califf this week announced that the Reagan-Udall Foundation will undertake an external review of FDA’s resources, procedures, and organization in food safety and tobacco. Once started, the Foundation will have sixty business days (3 months) to complete its evaluation and provide observations and recommendations.
Want to Know More About FDA? Alliance’s New Website Delivers www.strengthenfda.org. On the site you can find transcripts and/or summaries of all seventeen webinars that the Alliance has held since April 2021. The webinars are hour-long programs with senior FDA leadership. Whatever part of FDA you are interested in, it has been covered by one of our speakers. Go to the Alliance’s Events page here.