Patty Murray: “As a new member of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee I have spent the last 8 months coming up to speed on…”

“As a new member of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee I have spent the last 8 months coming up to speed on the FDA, reform proposals and the impact of these proposals. I have met with groups representing all sides on these issues--from the biotech industry to groups representing patients. I have tried to keep an open mind and work to find acceptable solutions to the many problems pointed out by industry and the patient groups. There appears to be a general mistrust among all interested parties. As a result each side is concerned about going too far--industry is concerned about burdensome and unnecessary regulation by FDA and the patients are concerned about effective regulation of the industry. It appears that this general mistrust is based on past experiences and each side can give numerous examples. My objective was to revitalize the FDA to give it the regulatory flexibility to effectively regulate the pharmaceutical and medical device industry without jeopardizing timely approval of safe and effective lifesaving drugs and devices. At the same time, I am well aware of the prominent public health role played by the FDA--it is after all, a public health agency, not a drug or device manufacturer.”