U.S. Food and Drug Administration
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Information for Patient Advocates

FDA's Office of Special Health Issues

OSHI Mission

The Office of Special Health Issues (OSHI) works with patients, patient advocates, and health care professional organizations to encourage and support their participation in forming FDA regulatory policy, and to communicate important safety and regulatory information to those constituents. . The staff also provides information about the FDA drug approval process and clinical trials. Mission Statement.

Frequently Asked Questions


FDA Acronyms and Abbreviations

An interactive database of commonly used FDA acronyms and abbreviations.

HIV and AIDS Activities

Current information on AIDS therapies, clinical trials, and HIV testing.

Cancer Liaison Program

Information about and for cancer patients, advocates, and representatives.

Information for Health Professionals


FDA Intra-Agency Neurology Working Group


Clinical Trials

General information about research trials that use human subjects, and links to clinical trials databases.

Patient Representative Program

How to share information about serious diseases with FDA advisory committees.

Patient Involvement

General information about life-threatening diseases, advisory committees, and clinical trials.

Speeding Access to Important Therapeutic Agents

FDA regulatory mechanisms designed to improve patient access to promising therapies


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