DTC on the Hill

Senate Appropriations/Agriculture subcommittee chair Herb Kohl (D-Wisc.) will meet with FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach Jan. 10 to discuss gaps in regulatory oversight of direct to consumer advertising that were highlighted by a Dec. 14 Government Accountability Office report (1"The Pink Sheet" Dec. 18, 2006, p. 20). The report, commissioned by Kohl, found the agency lacks documented criteria for identifying and prioritizing DTC material for review. Shortly after its release, Kohl sent a letter to President George Bush calling for reform of FDA's DTC review policy and an enhanced budget to accommodate the agency's increasing review burden...