1. Pink Sheet

CDER Advisory Committee Staffing Improves, But Trouble Spots Remain

 
• By Kate Rawson

After years of widespread vacancies on advisory committees, the Food & Drug Administration appears to have tackled most of the problems. But there are a couple of significant outliers, most significantly the Dermatology & Ophthalmic Products Advisory Committee. Will changes in conflict of interest rules and a new recruitment effort help FDA find and retain advisory committee members?

Looking at the Food & Drug Administration’s most recent data on advisory committee vacancies, it would appear at first glance that the agency has not made much progress in improving efforts to recruit and maintain expert panelists within the Center for Drug Evaluation & Research.

CDER advisory committees had a 25% vacancy rate as of September 2013 – far above the agency’s 10% target and...

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