Food and Drug Administration

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a federal agency responsible for protecting public health by regulating human and veterinary drugs, vaccines, medical devices, food safety, cosmetics, and tobacco products. Recent news highlights several areas of FDA activity. Concerns have been raised regarding the safety of certain drugs, with a study finding a higher risk of sudden sight loss in Wegovy users compared to Ozempic users. The FDA also approved a generic medication for a rare brain condition, but found little evidence a generic drug could help many people with autism. The FDA's process for approving customized drugs for rare diseases is under review, with a new system proposed. There are also personnel changes within the FDA, including the departure of a vaccine chief and scrutiny over a top drug official's hiring practices. The agency also removed warnings against ineffective autism treatments from its website. Finally, the FDA's role in ensuring drug safety is underscored by concerns about overseas manufacturing of generic drugs and the need for domestic production.