Access to More Info From Drugmakers Needed to Address Shortages, Califf Tells Congress

The FDA is hamstrung from truly mitigating impending drug supply shortages because the agency can’t get a consistently transparent view into drug manufacturers’ operations, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf told the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability during a nearly five-hour hearing last week.

Until the FDA is afforded such transparency, it won’t be able to get ahead of drug supply issues, but instead must just put out fires as they occur.

“The way we do that right now is we have spotty pieces of information about what’s going on out there from the manufacturers, and we spend a lot of time on the phone finding manufacturer B to make up for what manufacturer A cannot do,” said Califf.

Califf, who answered many questions from Congresspeople about drug supply concerns, said during the hearing that drug manufacturers thus far won’t give up the goods.

Watch the hearing here.

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