BUSINESS NEWS
In mid-December, the Coalition for a Stronger FDA and the FDA Alliance announced plans to merge into a single organization known as the Alliance for a Stronger FDA. Both organizations, which emerged as independent entities in 2006, were founded on the notion that FDA does not have the necessary resources to fulfill its mission of protecting the public health. According to the groups, the merger—which went into effect at the beginning of January—creates a stronger, more multifaceted organization dedicated to securing a higher level of congressional funding for FDA.
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Grossman
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"We have each been successful in educating about the need for more appropriated funds for FDA, and now we'll be able to do an even more effective job," said Steven Grossman, the executive director of the FDA Alliance, who will serve as deputy executive director for government relations and communications in the merged organization.
Industry associations AdvaMed (Washington, DC) and the Medical Device Manufacturers Association (Washington, DC), in addition to several device companies, will be represented among the merged alliance's members.
"The new organization assures that patients and consumers will be heard, while enjoying the clout derived from having a common cause with other FDA stakeholders, including health professional groups, health voluntary agencies, and industry," said Diane Dorman, vice president for public policy at the National Organization for Rare Disorders, who will serve on the board of the merged organization. "More voices calling for additional federal appropriations for an abandoned agency cannot be ignored."
The merged alliance will have 10 honorary cochairs. They are as follows.
- Three former secretaries of the Department of Health and Human Services: Louis W. Sullivan, Donna E. Shalala, and Tommy G. Thompson.
- Seven former FDA commissioners: Charles C. Edwards, Donald Kennedy, Arthur Hull Hayes Jr., Frank E. Young, Jane E. Henney, Mark B. McClellan, and Lester M. Crawford.
For more information about the Alliance for a Stronger FDA, look for the organization's commentary in "2008 Medtech Public Policy Watch" on page 19 of this issue of MX.
