The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week acknowledged the daunting challenge of monitoring the rapidly increasing number of imports of FDA-regulated products, and announced its plan to alter the agency’s approach to imports. “Global production of FDA-regulated goods has exploded over the past ten years. In addition to an increase in imported finished products, manufacturers increasingly use imported materials and ingredients in their U.S. production facilities, making the distinction between domestic and imported products obsolete,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, in a statement explaining why change is needed. As part of its plan, FDA plans to establish new partnerships with regulators in other countries and increase data-sharing initiatives with those agencies.
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