This Month Acu cupuncture. You've been reading about it ever since President Nixon's historic trip last year to the People's Republic of China. The trip aroused interest in how Chinese medicine, particularly the ancient art of using thin needles in the treatment of disease, may benefit Americans. In March, the Food and Drug Administration published a proposed regulation on acupuncture to protect American patients. FDA concluded that acupuncture in this country is an experimental technique whose safety and efficacy has not been established. Our color story on acupuncture, “Acupuncture: Past and Present," describes what acupuncture is, and what FDA has done to protect the public. The authors are Joseph B. Davis, M.D., and Lillian Yin, Ph.D., both from FDA's Office of Medical Devices. How safe are the food additives that occur in our foods? Where do food additives come from? What requirements does the law place on them? These questions, and others like them, are answered in our story, "A Primer on Food Additives." It traces the history of the regulation of food additives since the turn of the century, and tells what FDA is doing today to make sure that the foods you eat are safe and wholesome. The story was written by G. Edward Damon, writer in FDA's Bureau of Foods. Did you ever hear of someone working himself out of a job? That's what smallpox vaccine has done. It has been so successful in eradicating smallpox worldwide that the Public Health Service, of which FDA is a part, has recommended that Americans no longer be routinely inoculated. "Smallpox Vaccination-Who Needs It?" was written by Margaret Morrison, a writer on FDA's Consumer Education and Information Staff. Also this month, we present the third part of our series on FDA's consumer perception survey. This month's article is about how consumers perceive the safety of medicines. Quotes "T he demands of science and society dictate that we will not return to those days when public safety was left to the tender mercies of the profit motivation. In this technological age, the individual must have help where he cannot fully protect himself from the sea of technology that surrounds him. "So, Government regulation of the food supply seems here to stay. "But how much? How much do we need? How much does the public want? And whatever the answers to these questions, how much is the public willing to pay for? "There can be no doubt that regulation implies restriction. The more we regulate, the more we restrict both the individual's and society's choice. "Where do we draw the line between regulation necessary to give the individual protection he wants and needs from Government, and protection that he should provide for himself? "Where do we draw the line between positive regulation that improves our lives, and negative protection that interferes with industry incentive and with social and scientific progress? "I have no clear-cut answers. But we in FDA are faced each day with decisions embroidered with such delicate questions." John T. Walden, deputy assistant commissioner for public affairs, before a seminar for food editors of the School of Journalism of the University of Southern California, Beverly Hills, California, February 25, 1973. "I n terms of output and results the OTC drug review is just getting started. But I think you would agree that we have learned a great deal from what has happened so far, and the road ahead, if not easy, is at least pretty clearly in view. "But we have learned something else that is a good deal more important than a knowledge of the procedural ropes. We have learned that this kind of process can work to the advantage of both the proprietary drug industry and the public. "It might have been easy for some to take a cynical view, to decide in advance that if the public stood to gain from the OTC review then the industry had to suffer, or vice versa. But that kind of cynicism would have been-and is-un founded, because I think together we have developed an approach, a procedure, and a philosophy that benefits everyone concerned with the proprietary drug field, those who make and sell OTC drugs and those who buy and use them. "When this review is over-and it is now possible to think in those terms-the producers of over-the-counter drugs will have greater assurance that their products are safe, effective, and properly labeled. "As a result, of course, consumers will have greater confidence in over-the-counter drugs because the products themselves and their labeling will have come through an objective review by groups of well qualified scientists whose sole motivation was responsible consumer protection." Mark Novitch, M.D., deputy associate commissioner for medical affairs, at the Proprietary Association Annual Meeting, Palm Beach, Florida, April 11, 1973. Consumer Forum In future issues the space on this page will be re served for a new feature of FDA CONSUMER, a page we are calling CONSUMER FORUM. It gives you, the consumer, the opportunity to have your views published in FDA Consumer. Letters of any length are acceptable, depending on content and interest, but letters of 150 words or less have a better chance of being published. Letters must be signed, but we will withhold the name upon request and for valid reason. We will, however, use initials if we don't use the name. We reserve the right to condense letters to a suitable length for publication. Letters to CONSUMER FORUM can be on any topic of concern to FDA-foods, drugs, cosmetics, household chemicals, toys, vaccines, radiation, medical devices. But remember-if you have a complaint about a specific product, or you feel a product is hazardous, you should channel your comments to the FDA District office nearest you. You will get the quickest action on a consumer complaint by going directly to the District. Send letters to CONSUMER FORUM, FDA CONSUMER, PA-25, Food and Drug Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20852. |