US Congress Prescribes FDA Overhaul

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Congress Prescribes FDA Overhaul

House Passes Funding Bill Aimed At Giving FDA More Power To Protect

Consumers. Sept. 19, 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Congress may pass a funding bill for the FDA, which

could help in combating food and drug scares. The government

department has run out of money and is warning of 2,000 layoffs. Wyatt

s reports.

(CBS) With the Food and Drug Administration about to run out of money

and with the agency's commissioner warning of 2,000 layoffs, Congress

is on the verge of passing a funding bill for the agency -- a bill

that might fix the high profile food and drug safety problems of the

last few years.

CBS News correspondent Wyatt s reports that perhaps the biggest

reform is the price tag itself.

The drug industry will have to pay an extra $225 million over five

years to have the FDA review the safety of drugs -- a five-fold

increase. Another major change is that drug results from clinical

trials in the future will be made public, not kept secret.

Consumer advocates say more information will save lives and that one

of the problems with Vioxx is that information linking the drug to

heart attacks wasn't made public.

" This was a great day for consumers, " says advocate Bill Vaughn. " The

FDA will be better able to keep the drug companies honest. And if they

know that they can be exposed for hiding drug data and research data,

they won't do it in the first place. "

" When this bill passes, will a drug like Vioxx be tougher to get on

the market? " asks s.

" It'll be tougher to get on the market and much, much faster to get

off, " Vaughn says.

Other reforms in the bill include increased inspections of seafood,

and much tougher regulation of pet food. Under the bill, the FDA gets

more power to monitor and test the ingredients of imported pet food.

While the bill is not yet a completely done deal, it overwhelmingly

passed the House and the same is expected in the Senate as early as

Thursday.

All sides believe the president will eventually sign the bill.