Small Business Guide to FDA
(last revised on 03/31/04)
HOW TO OBTAIN AGENCY DOCUMENTS
Obtaining Public Information
Certain documents that are prepared for public distribution--such as
press releases, consumer publications, speeches, and congressional testimony--are
available from FDA without having to file a Freedom of Information Act
(FOIA) request. Many of these documents are available on FDA's Internet
site (www.fda.gov). We encourage you to browse the site for documents
you want to look at. Public information may also be obtained by contacting
the appropriate FDA information officer.
Obtaining Information Through FOIA
FOIA allows anyone to request copies of records not normally prepared
for public distribution. FOIA pertains to existing records only and
does not require agencies to create new records to comply with a request.
It also does not require agencies to collect information they do not
have or to do research or analyze data for a requestor. In addition,
FOIA requests must be specific enough to permit an FDA employee who
is familiar with the subject matter to locate records in a reasonable
period of time. Under FOIA, certain records may be withheld in whole
or in part from the requestor if they fall within FOIA exemptions.
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