FDA

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food safety, tobacco products, caffeine products, dietary supplements, prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical drugs (medications), vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, blood transfusions, medical devices, electromagnetic radiation emitting devices (ERED), cosmetics, animal foods & feed,  and veterinary products.

The FDA’s primary focus is enforcing the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C). However, the agency also enforces other laws, notably Section 361 of the Public Health Service Act as well as associated regulations. Much of this regulatory-enforcement work is not directly related to food or drugs but involves other regulated products like lasers, cellular phones, and condoms. In addition, the FDA uses its authority to mitigate diseases in a variety of contexts, from household pets to human sperm donated for use in assisted reproduction.

The FDA is led by the commissioner of food and drugs, who is appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate. The commissioner reports to the secretary of health and human services. Marty Makary is the current commissioner.

The FDA’s headquarters is located in the White Oak area of Silver Spring, Maryland, occupying the former Naval Ordnance Laboratory The agency has 223 field offices and 13 laboratories located across the 50 states, the United States Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. In 2008, the FDA began to post employees to foreign countries, including China, India, Costa Rica, Chile, Belgium, and the United Kingdom.