Washington, D.C., July 19, 2005
– “We greet yesterday’s news of the appointment of a permanent commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as an opportunity to advance the safety and security of the public. Given his years of experience at the agency, Dr. Crawford brings a knowledgebase to this new role, and we pledge to work with him as he confronts the extraordinary health challenges facing Americans such as prescription drug safety, the vulnerability of the nation’s vaccine supply and the discovery of new medicines that may save lives.
“We urge Dr. Crawford to address a number of health concerns that affect people across our nation. We look forward to the FDA’s decision by September 1 on whether to make the emergency contraceptive Plan B a nonprescription drug. We believe that emergency contraception should be more readily accessible to women, including the thousands of victims of sexual assault who need to prevent pregnancy. Over-the-counter sales of the Plan B would enforce the fundamental right of women to have access to reproductive health services.
“The FDA must also strengthen its oversight of the pipeline of prescription drugs entering the market, and the agency should continue to work to improve the safety of our nation’s foods and play a central role in ensuring safe and effective vaccines for a variety of diseases.
“The APHA also supports measures to give the FDA the authority it needs to effectively regulate tobacco products. In the United States alone, tobacco use kills more than 400,000 people each year and costs our nation a massive $75 billion in direct health care costs. Tobacco products are virtually unregulated and, every day, hundreds of children become tobacco users. Everything must be done to thwart this ongoing health crisis.
“We will work diligently with Commissioner Crawford to improve the health of Americans. We will assist him in whatever way we can to enhance the safety and protection of the public.”