The 110th Congress came to a close on December 12 without acting to pass a final food and drug safety legislative package and the stage has been set for the next Congress to revisit this subject and will likely make changes to this measure.
Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) defeated long time House Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) for control of the panel in the 111th Congress in a vote on November 20. This Committee was the place where the draft food and drug safety legislative package was being debated over the 18 months. Rep. Waxman, the current chairman of the worked with liberal Democrats who are unhappy with Chairman Dingell to build support for the change and he is also working to secure support among the large incoming freshman class. While both Congressman Waxman and Chairman Dingell have been very critical of the Food and Drug Administration and its operations and funding priorities, Rep. Waxman is likely to revise portions of Chairman Dingell’s current drug safety legislation in order to address his priorities and to have a greater effect on the industry and its government watchdogs. He will also be looking to replace key Committee staffers with his own loyalists from the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee.
These developments, combined with the President-elect Obama’s push on health care coverage reform and other issues before the Committee, will affect the course of this legislation. The possibility remains that food & drug safety provisions may be included in larger health care reform bill next year, but passage of any such measure is far from assured. Delays may also spur key Senate leaders to seek a way to jump start a comprehensive legislative effort to address safety concerns in the areas of drugs, food and medical devices.
As always, ACRP and APPI will continue to monitor the actions on Capitol Hill during this transition period and will advise you about progress of relevant legislation as we continue working with key Members and Congressional staff to continue our role in educating them about effects on clinical trials and on our membership. Please also review the “Bills to Watch” Section below for an update on current legislation and their likelihood to be reintroduced next year.