FDA, USDA, and EPA launch joint platform to streamline info about biotech products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have launched a Unified Website for Biotechnology Regulation. The website is meant to streamline information about the three agencies overseeing agricultural biotechnology products as part of President Trump’s 2015 executive order: Modernizing the Regulatory Framework for Agricultural Biotechnology Products.

“This is a time of unprecedented scientific innovation. Agricultural biotechnology promises to bring dynamic new products to the marketplace,” said FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, in a press release. “At the FDA, we are committed to fostering flexible, risk-based approaches in this field while upholding our mission of protecting and promoting both human and animal health and animal well-being, for example by reducing their susceptibility to diseases like novel influenzas and resistance to zoonotic or foreign animal diseases. Our approach balances our internationally respected, science-based review standards with our ongoing risk-based regulatory approaches to ensure the safety of our food supply.”

The unified website describes the federal review process for certain biotechnology products and allows users to submit questions to the three agencies.