US public has doubts over strengthend Rx oversight for FDA

US public confidence in the Food and Drug Administration appears to be rebounding after two years of declining confidence, but the agency has more work to do. Half of all adults in the USA still believe the FDA is doing a fair or poor job when it comes to ensuring the safety and efficacy of new prescription drugs. Nearly six in 10 give the agency negative ratings on ensuring that truly innovative drugs come to market more quickly. These are some of the results of an on-line survey of 2,482 adults in the USA, aged 18 and older, conducted by Harris Interactive between May 22 and 24, for The Wall Street Journal Online's Health Industry Edition.

Legislators on Capitol Hill are actively seeking to address the public's concerns. New provisions were recently passed by the Senate as part of the FDA Revitalization Act that would give the agency new powers, including the ability to issue fines to drugmakers if they fail to do follow-up safety studies or use false or misleading advertising. The Senate also passed legislation to establish electronic networks to scan medical and prescription drug records for indications of drug safety issues. The FDA's expanded mandates will be funded by increased user fees paid by prescription drug companies.

The public's perceptions of these initiatives, on the whole, are ambivalent at best; half of all adults are confident that that these oversight mechanisms would help improve drug safety.