US FDA blames outdated IT systems for oversight failings

A former regulatory counsel at the US Food and Drug Administration and a representative of the Government Accountability Office have told the US House of Representatives' Energy and Commerce Oversight Investigations Subcommittee that outdated and broken information technology systems are hampering the FDA's review of foreign manufactured drugs.

Technology Daily reports that eight years ago, lawmakers were informed that the FDA's drug import programs and IT systems were "broken," Benjamin England, a former FDA regulatory counsel, told the Subcommittee, adding that they remain unresolved.