SOURCE:3BL Media, LLC
DESCRIPTION:
Since 1998, the Food and Drug Administration has collected millions of records about the prescription and over-the-counter medications that it regulates. In total, it’s the world’s most comprehensive database of how drugs interact with the human body. But this information has been available only to a select group of those who had the expertise and the complex software to navigate its confusing maze of records, which have only been released in quarterly bulk files, and have been called confusing and inaccurate by software developers who have tried to work with them. For a report on a specific drug, it has even been necessary to file a Freedom of Information Act request with the government. That’s all about to change.
Through a project called openFDA, the agency will now allow software makers to tap directly into the data to build user-friendly and easily searchable programs for doctors and consumers. The FDA is also opening up records of product recalls and drug labels. More transparency will allow the creation of a complete record of any problems associated with a particular drug over a period of years. The projected plan includes mobile apps to let consumers compare over-the-counter drugs while they shop in a pharmacy, and software that alerts pharmacists immediately when a company issues a recall. The FDA’s transparency about drug data is another big change in health practice that should result in a more informed, healthier American population.
I’m John Howell for 3BL Media.
Video Source:Food and Drug Administration Opts for Transparency on Drug Safety
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KEYWORDS: FDA, Drug Safety, The Health Minute, 3bl Media, Food and Drug Administration, openFDA