The Food and Drug Administration has suspended its plan to cut half its laboratories until a new Cabinet-level panel finishes its review of ways to ensure the safety of imports, according to the agency’s Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach.
The suspension will allow officials to "step back, analyze and assess" the results of the high-level review, Dr. von Eschenbach told reporters.
The FDA has been under increasing fire as concerns rise over tainted food and drug imports from China and elsewhere.
President Bush last month set up a panel to examine import safety, headed by Health and Human Services Secretary Michael O. Leavitt that will report back to Mr. Bush next month.
A reorganization plan that would involve cutting seven of the FDA's 13 field laboratories has been criticized by Reps. John D. Dingell and Bart Stupak, both Michigan Democrats.
Read the full Washington Times story here.
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