Funding for US FDA's Office of Generic Drugs approved by President

US President Barack Obama has now signed into law the fiscal 2010 Agriculture Appropriations Bill. This was passed by a large margin in the House of Representatives on October 7 and the Senate followed suit on October 8.

The bill provides full funding, as requested by the President, for the two premier federal agencies responsible for regulating safety and efficacy standards for our food and drug supply, the Food and Drug Administration and the Food Safety and Inspection Service. The FDA is funded at $2.350 billion, equal to the President's request, and $299 million above fiscal year 2009 enacted level.

Applauded by GPhA

Welcoming the move, the Generic Pharmaceutical Association's (GPhA) president and chief executive, Kathleen Jaeger, said the bill 'represents a significant step forward in providing FDA with the resources it needs to effectively and efficiently do its job. As Americans increasingly turn to generic medicines as a means to improve their health at affordable costs, this infusion of resources should help the FDA provide more timely access to generic drugs.'

She continued: 'The Office of Generic Drugs has been severely underfunded for several years and there is no doubt that the dedicated scientists and reviewers at FDA need more resources. With generic medicines saving the health care system one billion dollars every three days, there is no doubt that placing more resources in bringing safe and effective generics to consumers is a sound investment.'