WASHINGTON—FDA released FDA Basics, a consumer Web site directed at explaining agency operations, how it makes decisions and the drug approval process. In a press release, FDA said this is the first phase of its Transparency Initiative.
The new Web-based curriculum includes: questions and answers about the agency and the products it regulates, short videos that explain various agency activities and conversations with agency personnel about the work of their office. According to FDA, senior officials from FDA product centers and offices will answer questions on various topics during future online sessions.
The Web site includes a page about FDA’s role in dietary supplement regulation and answers questions, such as “What is the difference between a dietary supplement and a conventional food?” and “If I take vitamins already, should I be eating foods that are fortified with vitamins as well?”
FDA said the Transparency Initiative was launched in response to the Obama Administration’s commitment to a level of openness. In phase two of the initiative, FDA Transparency Task Force intends to make recommendations to commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D regarding how to make information about agency activities more transparent, useful and understandable to the public. In the final phase of the initiative, the Task Force intends to make recommendations to the commissioner regarding FDA’s transparency to regulated industries.