Is The FDA Putting American Lives At Risk?

In the NYT this morning, there was a story about Food and Drug Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach writing a letter to Arlen Specter asking for an immediate appropriation of $275 Million to step up inspections of imported foods, drugs and medical devices.
. . .
Got that? The budget for the FDA, the agency that assures the safety of every bite of food, every MRI machine, every bottle of Nyquil and erectile dysfunction tab was $1.2 Billion this year.

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) updated it's calculations of the costs of the Iraq occupation in February. The numbers can be found here (pdf). According to the CRS, we are now spending about $2.4 Billion a week in the sands of Mesopotamia. (Note: these numbers are not combined "War on Terror" obfuscation lumping in Afghanistan, but strictly OIF costs.)

So, the entire government commitment to assuring that the food you eat, the medicines you take, the medical equipment you use isn't going to kill you dead at the first swallow is equal to three and one-half days of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Think about that the next time a Republican promises he's going to cut "discretionary" spending.

And bon apetit.

Despite widespread publicity about heparin problems, several California hospitals were found to still have recalled heparin products in their supply chains, suggesting that the problem could still be an issue nationally, according to the FDA. The agency now has issued a request for hospitals and healthcare workers across the U.S. to search storage areas for possibly overlooked supplies of the drug, tainted versions of which have been blamed for 81 deaths. The recalled products were found last week during visits to California hospitals by the FDA and Baxter International, which made the batches that have since been recalled.

The controversy over the safety of the chemical bisphenol A continues, as the U.S. FDA issues a statement saying that the agency sees no reason to tell consumers to stop using products that contain it, Reuters reports. This includes polycarbonate baby bottles, water bottles and more (which should be labeled with the #7 recycling code).

The FDA's statement, released in a climate of heavy pressure from the chemical industry, is in contrast to developments in Canada. On April 19 the Canadian government began a 60-day public comment period on whether polycarbonate baby bottles should be banned in the country. Observers have said a comprehensive ban on polycarbonate is even possible up north in the near future.

For its part, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., makers of Nalgene bottles, have announced that they will stop using polycarbonate. Wal-Mart says it expects all baby bottles it carries to be free of the material by early next year, and Toys R Us has discussed a similar plan.

If such major players are clearly expressing concern over BPA, what legs does the FDA have to stand on for its reassurance? According to Reuters, the FDA's associate commissioner for science, Norris Alderson, said the feds are reviewing safety concerns, and pointed to two industry-funded studies claiming it poses no risk.

The Geron Corporation announced Wednesday that its plans to begin the first clinical trial using embryonic stem cells had been delayed by federal regulators.

The company, based in Menlo Park, Calif., had planned to begin a human trial soon to test its stem cell compound in patients with spinal cord injuries.