Introduction
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is one of the United States of America’s government agencies. The FDA falls under the US Department of Health and Human Services. The Food and Drug Administration was formed in 1906. It has the responsibility of “supervising and regulating food products and drug substances with the aim of promoting and protecting public health”.
The Food and Drug Administration in USA also implements laws and regulations found under the Public Health Service Act especially Section 361. The FDA enforces “sanitation requirements on interstate travel, as well as, the control of disease on products such as pets”. This paper examines, the FDA’s organization and structure, its funding, and the regulatory programmes carried out by the Food and Drug Administration.
The Structure and Organization of the Food and Drug Administration
A commissioner who is appointed by the USA President following the Senate consent heads the FDA. The commissioner “reports to the Secretary of Health and Human Services”. The FDA has a number of centers and offices.
For instance, some of the Food and Drug Administration centers include the following: Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER); Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH); Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN); and Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) among others.
The headquarters of the Food and Drug Administration are located in the State of Maryland, Silver Spring. The agency’s offices, as well as, its laboratories are situated in all the states of America. The FDA also has its offices in a number of foreign countries like China, United Kingdom, Belgium, and Chile. The initiative of opening its offices in the foreign countries began in 2008.
The Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) and the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) conduct most of the FDA’s fieldwork. The officers of the OCI and ORA are found in all regions of the country. The Office of Regulatory Authority is charged with the responsibility of analyzing physical samples such as drugs, food, and cosmetics that are collected from the field.
On the other hand, the Office of Criminal Investigations investigates criminal cases. Some of the criminal cases, which the Office of Criminal Investigations deals with, include cases of wire and mail fraud, false statements and conspiracy. The Office of Criminal Investigations also works intimately with other government agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Assistant Attorney General (AAG).
The Scope and Funding of the Food and Drug Administration
The FDA is responsible for “the regulation and supervision of more than $1 trillion worth consumer goods, which is averagely 25% of consumer expenditures in the United States of America”. The agency also monitors most of the imports. The Food and Drug Administration generates its income majorly from the consumer fees.
For example, the funds that are used by the Food and Drug Administration to produce reviews on drugs are generated from the fees levied on pharmaceutical firms. The FDA also receives funding from the federal government that enables it to run its activities appropriately.
Regulatory Programmes Conducted by the Food and Drug Administration
The major responsibility of the Food and Drug Administration agency in the US is to regulate and supervise food and drug substances. Therefore, the FDA conducts several programmes aimed at regulating food products, drugs, cosmetics, and veterinary products.
The FDA through the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) ensures that almost all the food products consumed in the United States of America are labeled accurately and safely. The Centre for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) ensures that food standards are established and maintained accurately.
It also establishes the necessities for nutrition labeling as stipulated in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The CFSAN also regulates cosmetic products. CFSAN approves all color additives used in cosmetics.
The FDA’s branch that is concerned with the regulation of drug substances in the United States of America is the Centre for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). The CDER conducts extensive inspection of different types of drugs. For instance, the FDA ensures that new drugs undergo a New Drug Application (NDA) process.
The new drugs can only be available to the public after the approval of the NDA. The FDA also ensures that over-the-counter drugs can be consumed without the prescription of a doctor. The FDA through the Centre for Veterinary Medicine regulates animal foods, additives, as well as, animal drugs.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that the Food and Drug Administration plays a critical role in the promotion and protection of public health in the United States of America. The FDA’s well-organized structure and a clear funding system enable it to carry out its regulatory programmes effectively and efficiently. Therefore, it is worth noting that the FDA is a major agency of the US government.
Works Cited
Hickmann, Meredith. The Food and Drug Administration. New York: Nova Publishers, 2003. Print.
Oyarzabal, Omar and Steffen Backert. Microbial Food Safety: An Introduction. New York: Springer, 2011. Print.