Pandemic Response, Pandemic Preparation

Over the past year, we’ve seen first-hand the devastation and turmoil wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic; the unparalleled economic and personal tragedies inflicted on families and communities across the nation. We’ve also had the opportunity to be part of the extraordinary governmental response to this unparalleled public health emergency.  Working closely with other government agencies, industry, the health care community, researchers, and others, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has helped foster the knowledge and understanding of the SARS-CoV-2 virus necessary to bring it and the disease it causes under control.  We are extremely proud of the role the FDA has played on many different fronts in this effort. That work has included expediting access to COVID-19 medical countermeasures for the detection, protection against, and treatment of COVID-19, supporting the stability and quality of medical product and food supply chains, and ensuring that the agency’s decisions are guided firmly by science using an open and transparent process to ensure continued public confidence.  To build on these efforts, in April 2020, we began the FDA COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery and Preparedness Plan (PREPP) initiative, with a formal launch in August 2020. The goal was to strengthen our on-going COVID-19 response and resiliency for future emergencies. To this end, we engaged an external third party for an independent and objective review of the agency’s response, to assess actions, and identify forward-looking opportunities for the agency’s consideration.