Von Eschenbach to China
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach and Deputy Commissioner for International and Special Programs Murray Lumpkin met with China's minister of health and commissioner of China's food and drug agency as the two countries try to finalize a memorandum of agreement on the import safety of food, drugs and medical devices (1"The Tan Sheet" Aug. 20, 2007, p. 14). While withholding details of the MOA, Lumpkin noted that FDA's "preference is obviously not to have to catch problems in the products at our borders ... but prevent them at the source of their manufacturer." Von Eschenbach suggested the MOA will be finalized in early December, in time for HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt's visit to China. The meeting in Shanghai is the latest effort from the Bush administration's Interagency Working Group on Import Safety established in July...