FDA to open office in China by year's end
FDA to open office in China by year's end
WASHINGTON -- The Food & Drug Administration will open its first China office in Beijing before the end of the year, and other FDA offices in India, Europe and Latin America will follow before next year, according to Health & Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt.
"We're making steady progress to better safeguard our supply of food and medicines," Mr. Leavitt said in an Oct. 16 press release. "In the past year, we've upgraded labs and equipment, hired additional staff and begun implementing product-safety agreements with key trading partners, including China."
The first overseas office will open in Beijing, and the FDA plans to open offices in Shanghai and Guangzhou next year, sending a total of eight U.S. nationals to China. Next month, Mr. Leavitt is scheduled to travel to China to review progress in a bilateral agreement reached last year to improve the safety of imported foods and medical goods.
The second overseas office is planned for New Delhi, India, and at least one additional office in India is expected to open next year. The U.S. government, which plans to post 10 U.S. nationals in India, is still awaiting formal approval to open the new offices.
"Through our Beyond our Borders initiative, we won't have to send our experts to another country to work with foreign governments and regulated industry to improve our oversight; we'll have staff living and working on the ground 365 days a year," FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach said in the press release.
Staff at the new international offices will provide technical advice, conduct additional inspections, and work with government agencies and private- sector entities interested in developing certification programs, according to HHS.
U.S. officials are working on similar import agreements with Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama.
"We're making steady progress to better safeguard our supply of food and medicines," Mr. Leavitt said in an Oct. 16 press release. "In the past year, we've upgraded labs and equipment, hired additional staff and begun implementing product-safety agreements with key trading partners, including China."
The first overseas office will open in Beijing, and the FDA plans to open offices in Shanghai and Guangzhou next year, sending a total of eight U.S. nationals to China. Next month, Mr. Leavitt is scheduled to travel to China to review progress in a bilateral agreement reached last year to improve the safety of imported foods and medical goods.
The second overseas office is planned for New Delhi, India, and at least one additional office in India is expected to open next year. The U.S. government, which plans to post 10 U.S. nationals in India, is still awaiting formal approval to open the new offices.
"Through our Beyond our Borders initiative, we won't have to send our experts to another country to work with foreign governments and regulated industry to improve our oversight; we'll have staff living and working on the ground 365 days a year," FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach said in the press release.
Staff at the new international offices will provide technical advice, conduct additional inspections, and work with government agencies and private- sector entities interested in developing certification programs, according to HHS.
U.S. officials are working on similar import agreements with Belize, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama.
