"Vision 2006" Public Meetings to be Hosted by FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford

According to news reports published August 16, 2005, Lester Crawford, the new head of the FDA, will be putting on a series of public hearings in Arizona, Florida, and Massachusetts starting next month.  According to those reports, Crawford has decided to use a talk-show format for this series of public hearings, which he has named "Vision 2006".

As described, FDA commissioner Crawford will host these events, mingling with those in attendance and taking their questions. The intended aim of the Vision 2006 FDA public meeting series is to allow Crawford and his colleagues at the FDA to find out what is on the minds of American consumers as regards "direct to consumer" (DTC) drug advertising, actual and perceived conflicts of interest among federal advisers, and prescription drug safety, among other topics.

The schedule for the Vision 2006 tour by Crawford and company is as follows:

• September 13, 2005 in Miami, FL
• November 2, 2005 in Boston, MA
• November 30, 2005 in Phoenix, AZ

Suzanne Trevino, an FDA spokeswoman, said that each session will run 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and that the FDA hopes each session will attract at least 150 people.  According to a notice published in the August 16, 2005 edition of the Federal Register, people who are interested in attending may of the Vision 2006 public hearing can register at the following web site: www.grad.usda.gov/vision

Some FDA-watchers pointed out, quickly, that the Vision 2006 meetings idea resembles some of the public session events put on by Dr. David A. Kessler while serving as FDA commissioner from 1990 to 1997.

It seems that the FDA chose locations around the nation for the Vision 2006 events in order to hear different types of concerns and questions, on the presumption those would vary by region.  For example, FDA spokeswoman Trevino said Florida was selected for the diversity of its aging population, and Arizona was included because many seniors travel to Mexico to buy inexpensive prescription drugs. In turn, Boston has a high concentration of prescription drug and medical device companies which are directly affected by the FDA’s regulatory actions.

(Posted by: Tom Lamb)