FDA Announces Plan to Improve Drug Risk Communications with the Public
The FDA announced a new plan this week to better improve communication with the public about drug risks and other products regulated by the agency. This new plan identifies more than 70 specific actions the FDA will take over the next five years to help improve communications with the public. The announcement comes three years after the FDA was blasted by the Institute of Medicine in September of 2006 for failing to make sure the drugs released to the public were safe for use. The 2006 report indicated the FDA lacked accountability and did not communicate safety information to the public well enough to minimize health risks, specifically mentioning the debacle over the withdrawal of Vioxx. In response to the scathing IOM report, the FDA created a risk communication advisory panel to develop ways for communicating risks and benefits of pharmaceuticals to the public.
