Obama orders FDA to help ease drug shortages

October 31, 2011
msnbc.com news services

President Barack Obama is directing the Food and Drug Administration to take steps to reduce drug shortages, action he says will help stop a "slow-rolling problem" that puts patients at risk and raises the potential for price gouging.

Obama signed an executive order in the Oval Office on Monday instructing the FDA to take action in three areas: broadening its reporting of potential drug shortages; accelerating reviews of applications to change production of drugs facing potential shortages; and giving the Justice Department more information about possible instances of collusion or price gouging. Read more

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