The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health launched a new website on May 24, 2010 that allows consumers to report safety problems related to pet foods and treats, among other features. The Safety Reporting Portal is designed to provide consumers, veterinarians, animal drug manufacturers and other parties in the food and drug industries with a mechanism to report pre- and post-market safety information to the federal government. “The portal will be a key detection tool in improving the country’s nationwide surveillance system and will strengthen our ability to protect the nation’s health,” FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg said. “We will now be able to analyze human and animal safety related events more quickly and identify those measures needed to protect the public.” The new website includes sections for the following: Reportable Food Registry - A more user-friendly electronic portal for submitting food reports as required by law. It collects reports from the food industry and public health officials regarding problems with food, including animal feed, that presents a reasonable probability of causing serious adverse heath consequences or death to humans or animals; . Pet Consumables - Pet owners and veterinarians will be able to use the portal to report problems with pet treats and food; . Animal Drugs - Animal drug manufacturers can report adverse drug events associated with their products; and . Clinical Trials - Biomedical researchers involved in human gene transfer clinical trials can report an adverse event, indicating whether the event might be an unanticipated consequence of the product that’s being tested. In the future, the system will encompass other types of clinical trials and safety problems arising from products regulated by a broad range of federal agencies. According to the FDA, this is the first step toward an electronic reporting system that will enable an individual to file a single report to multiple agencies interested in the event. In the meantime, the new website redirects individuals who want to submit reports about other products regulated by the FDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency or the Consumer Product Safety Commission to the appropriate contact. <HOME>
