Moderate Republican, Dem lawmakers plan to expand the FDA

Moderate Republican Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander and liberal Democratic lawmakers Tom Harkin and Rosa DeLauro are among those pushing for legislation that would expand the size and regulatory scope of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), raising concern from experts who fear that the legislation would have adverse consequences for the pharmaceutical industry.
Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro and New York Rep. Nita Lowey, both Democrats, introduced a bill in the House on Dec. 5 called the “Supporting Access to Formulated and Effective (SAFE) Compounded Drugs Act.”
DeLauro said the bill was a response to a fungal meningitis outbreak this fall caused by contaminated steroid injections produced at the now-defunct New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Mass. The outbreak reportedly resulted in more than 500 illnesses and 36 deaths.


Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/12/18/moderate-republican-dem-lawmakers-plan-to-expand-the-fda/#ixzz2FSQhHN2t