U.S. Food and Drug Administration
horizonal rule
 Picture of a person being examined by a dentist, a person being placed in an MRI machine, a doctor examing a childs ear and a picture of a healthy lunch  and the words: Broad Responsibilities, Varied Products, $1 Trillion A Year, Varied Approaches.

FDA Overview

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•Every day, every American comes in contact with a host of FDA-regulated products.

Varied products

. . . Everything from the most common food ingredients to complex medical and surgical devices, lifesaving drugs, and radiation-emitting consumer and medical products.

$ 1 trillion a year

•In fact, FDA-regulated products account for about 25 cents of every consumer dollar spent.

Varied approaches

•FDA's regulatory approaches are as varied as the products it regulates. •Some products -- such as new drugs and complex medical devices -- must be proven safe and effective before companies can put them on the market.
•Other products -- such as x-ray machines and microwave ovens -- must measure up to performance standards.
•And some products -- such as cosmetics and dietary supplements -- can be marketed with no prior approval.
•These differences are dictated by the laws we enforce and the relative risks that the products pose to consumers.

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