United States Food and Drug Administration

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) affirmed public health protection role and mission include:

• Promoting the public's health by promptly and efficiently reviewing clinical research and taking appropriate action on the marketing of regulated products in a timely manner



• Protecting the public health by ensuring that foods are safe, wholesome, sanitary, and properly labeled; human and veterinary drugs are safe and effective; there is reasonable assurance of the safety and effectiveness of devices intended for human use; cosmetics are safe and properly labeled; and public health and safety are protected from electronic product radiation



• Participating through appropriate processes with representatives of other countries to reduce the burden of regulation, harmonize regulatory requirements, and achieve appropriate reciprocal arrangements

FDA has more than 9,000 employees, located in 167 U.S. cities. Among its staff, FDA has chemists, microbiologists, and other scientists, as well as investigators and inspectors who visit 16,000 facilities a year as part of their oversight of the businesses that FDA regulates. Authorized by Congress to enforce the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and several other public health laws, the agency monitors the manufacture, import, transport, storage, and sale of $1 trillion worth of goods annually.

Among its responsibilities is the regulation of medical devices. The FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) develops and implements national programs to protect the public health in the fields of medical devices and radiological health. These programs are intended to assure the safety, effectiveness, and proper labeling of medical devices; to promote quality in mammographic services; and to control unnecessary human exposure to potentially hazardous radiation, and to ensure the safe, effictive use of such radiation.

Partnership Activities

The Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) was passed in 1992 to ensure all women have access to quality mammography; the National Mammography Quality Assurance Advisory Committee (NMQAAC) was mandated under this act. Since 1993, DCPC has advised the NMQAAC on issues related to MQSA, including CDC-related issues that are relevant to the proceedings of the committee. These subjects have ranged from mammography quality assurance to risks of infectious diseases associated with performing mammography. In addition, since 2001, DCPC has participated in an FDA panel that reviews pre-marketing applications for approval of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related laboratory tests (HPV infection is a risk factor for developing cervical cancer). The FDA is also a part of CDC's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) advisory committee.

United States Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857-0001
Toll-free: 888-INFO-FDA (888-463-6332)
www.fda.gov