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The US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has proposed formation of an internal FDA Nanotechnology
Task Force. The new Task Force is charged with determining regulatory approaches
that encourage the continued development of innovative, safe and effective FDA
regulated products that use nanotechnology materials.
The Task Force will identify and recommend ways to address any knowledge or
policy gaps that exist so as to better enable the agency to evaluate possible
adverse health effects from FDA regulated products that use nanotechnology
materials. FDA will continue to address product specific nanotechnology related
issues on an ongoing basis.
The Task Force will chair a public meeting to help FDA further its understanding
of developments in nanotechnology materials that pertain to FDA regulated
products, including new and emerging scientific issues such as those pertaining
to biological interactions that may lead to either beneficial or adverse health
effects. The public meeting is scheduled for October 10, 2006.
It will assess the current state of scientific knowledge pertaining to
nanotechnology materials for purpose of carrying out FDA's mission, evaluate the
effectiveness of the agency's regulatory approaches and authorities to meet any
unique challenge that may be presented by the use of nanotechnology materials in
FDA regulated products.
The Task Force will also explore opportunities to foster innovation using
nanotechnology materials to develop safe and effective drugs, biologics and
devices, and to develop safe foods, feeds and cosmetics.
Materials made in the nanoscale size range can often have chemical or physical
properties that are different from those of their large counterparts. Such
differences include increased chemical and biological activity. Because of these
properties, nanotechnology materials have great potential for use in a vast
array of products. Also because of some of their special properties, they may
pose different safety issues that their larger counterparts.
(Ref : The Times of India
dated July 29, 2006)
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