The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, under fire for its alleged failure to monitor the safety of drugs after they have been approved, is now facing criticism over its lack of leadership during the Bush administration. The Washington Post reports that the agency, which regulates products covering about one-fourth of the U.S. economy, has been without a permanent leader for nearly two-thirds of the time Bush has been in office. As a result, the FDA is less able to respond quickly to emerging problems and has been weakened in the face of pressures to stray from the agency’s science-based public health mandate.
