August 23, 2006 -- FDA Proposes to Automate Drug Information

The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued a proposed rule to make access to information about therapeutic drugs now on the market "more efficient and effective" by automating the process by which drug firms register themselves and their products with the FDA. Users of the list, which currently contains information about more than 120,000 drug products, include healthcare providers and healthcare payers, as well as government agencies such as Medicaid and Medicare. "Having drug makers submit drug information electronically will help to keep an up-to-date inventory of drugs on the market," said U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt. "This will help us maintain more accurate information and make it easier for us to respond to drug emergencies such as recalls and shortages." The FDA said the proposed rule is part of a broader federal effort to modernize the management of health information.