FDA Takes Steps Toward Transparency Online

In a first step toward transparency, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched a new Web portal for consumers called “FDA Basics.”

The site, which can be found at
www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/Basics/default.htm, explains agency operations, how the FDA makes decisions, and the drug and medical device approval processes.

During an online presentation Tuesday, the chairman of the FDA’s Transparency Task Force, Principal Deputy FDA Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein, described the content of the FDA Basics site.

According to Sharfstein, it includes:

• Questions and answers about the agency and the products it regulates

• Short videos that explain various agency activities

• Conversations with agency personnel about the work of their office

In addition, senior FDA officials will answer questions on various topics during future online sessions. Each of these sessions will be announced on the FDA Web site.

“This initiative will make information about the FDA more user-friendly and accessible to the public,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. “It fosters a better understanding about what we do.”

In phase two of the initiative, the task force will make recommendations to the commissioner on how to make information about agency activities more transparent, useful and understandable to the public.

In the final phase of the initiative, the task force intends to make recommendations to the commissioner regarding the FDA’s transparency to regulated industries.