By: Tim Cahill and Michael Heintz:
FDA Week reported on July 6, 2007 that the FDA’s Internal Nanotechnology Task Force is close to issuing its first report and is going to recommend that the agency not create "regulatory policies" for nanomaterials. Instead, the task force is likely recommending that FDA create guidelines for "best practices." The Task Force report will also likely urge FDA to work with academia and the National Nanotechnology Initiative to gather more information about nanotechnology risks and benefits.
FDA Week also observes that an agency official stated as early as 2005 that the agency would not regulate products containing nanotechnologies any different than conventional products, and "The agency does not regulate the technology as a separate entity so products such as drugs or medical devices that employ nanotechnology are scrutinized while cosmetics are not. " The Task Force report will also likely urge FDA to work with academia and the National Nanotechnology Initiative to gather more information about nanotechnology risks and benefits.
The Task Force was created in August 2006 to assess regulatory approaches that encourage the development of safe and effective FDA-regulated products that use nanomaterials, and the Task Force held a public meeting on these issues on October 10, 2006.
Similarly, Senator Mark Pryor’s office indicated a report addressing nanotechnology research and regulatory efforts at FDA, EPA, OSHA, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission by the General Accounting Office (GAO) is due out in the Spring of 2008.
Check back for more information on both of these reports as they are released.
