Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

The National Press Club hosted Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach to speak on the future of the FDA. He spoke highly of his agency calling it the “gold standard” for health regulation.

Eschenbach's speech followed a consistent message revolving around a single theme: change. He told the participants that developments in medicine and food production are forcing the FDA to adapt to the world's changing technologies. He said that the FDA was established a century ago to protect consumers from the dangers of ill goods but that the FDA of the 20th century is not adequate to face challenges in the 21st century posed by cloned animals, genetically modified crops, and medicines that can alter biology. In order to confront the challenges of this new age, Eschenbach said that the FDA needs to be “recreated.”

According to Eschenbach, 700 new officials will be hired as additional FDA employees in 2008 and he will soon launch a fellowship plan to recruit 2,000 people from various fields to receive FDA training. He also announced that the FDA will spend $250 million to update software systems and expand their electronic database. Additionally, he said that the FDA is planning to open up offices overseas in the near future beginning with China to regulate products before they are shipped to the U.S. In order to accomplish these goals, Eschenbach called for Congress to pass legislation granting the FDA increased authority. He also asked for the public's support and said that industries must accept strong corporate responsibility for the goods they produce.