Dr. Jen Greiner, NPPC Director of Science and Technology, provides the following updates on legislative activities on Capitol Hill concerning the Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA) and the Senate Agriculture Funding Bill.
DRUG-REVIEW LAW FAVORABLE TO PORK INDUSTRY
The House Energy and Commerce Committee Wednesday approved a bill that reauthorizes the animal-drug review law and creates a new generic animal-drug review statute – Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA), H.R. 6432, and Animal Generic Drug User Fee Act (AGDUFA), H.R. 6433, respectively. The Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA), first enacted in 2003, allows FDA to collect fees from the animal health industry for the review and approval of animal health products. The fees supplement the agency’s annual congressionally-approved appropriations and have enabled FDA to dramatically reduce its review time for new animal drugs, bringing medications to the market more quickly while maintaining high standards for safety and effectiveness. AGDUFA would do the same for generic animal drugs and is estimated to bring in $27 million in user fees over the next five years; ADUFA is expected to generate $98 million. Pork producers have always supported science-based efforts to protect public health. This ADUFA bill includes enhanced animal-health company reporting requirements to further promote public health. These additional requirements do not limit producer access to important animal health products. NPPC urges swift action by the full House and Senate to reauthorize ADUFA, which is set to expire Sept. 30, and approve AGDUFA before the August recess.
SENATE AG FUNDING BILL, ANOTHER WIN FOR PORK PRODUCERS
The Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday approved the fiscal year 2009 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations legislation. The bill increased funding to Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in addition to greatly increasing funding to FDA and USDA. A portion of the USDA funding will go toward implementing the 2008 Farm Bill and bringing USDA facilities into compliance with workplace safety standards. NPPC actively lobbied against potential amendments that would have prohibited "non-ambulatory" livestock from entering the food supply. A letter signed by NPPC and thirty state associations was sent to the committee explaining that language banning "non-ambulatory" livestock from entering the food supply could have serious effects on the United States pork industry and prevent healthy hogs from entering the food supply. The House is expected to begin its appropriations debate in the upcoming weeks.