President George W. Bush has signed a new law which will give the Food and Drug Administration new broader powers to ensure drug safetyWashington (EON) - President George W. Bush has signed a new law which will give the Food and Drug Administration new broader powers to ensure drug safety.

The new laws renew a five-year-program which has the FDA collecting fees from drugs and medical device manufacturers. It also expands the power of the FDA so that it can better ensure drug safety for all Americans.

The Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 has been signed into law by Bush and will allow the FDA new power as well as a bigger budget to higher new employees. This will allow them to be a much more secure and safe watchdog as they will be able to better ensure the safety of drugs.

Billy Tauzin of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America stated that “The increased fees will allow the agency to expand drug safety monitoring, hire additional staff for post-market surveillance, and modernize its information technology systems.”

The FDA deputy commissioner and chief medical officer Dr. Janet Woodcock stated “We welcome the ability to really engage in how those products perform once they are out on the market,” talking about new drugs and their safety.