Food and Drug Administration:
What is it?
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a federal organization designed to evaluate and regulate a wide variety of products for human and animal use. One of the FDA's numerous functions is to protect the health of the American people by ensuring that consumer products such as food and drugs are safe for consumption. The FDA weighs the effectiveness and the benefits of the product against potential risks and side effects. Based on this analysis, the FDA makes a decision of whether or not to approve the product for marketing to the public.
The FDA is divided into numerous branches, each designated its own responsibilities. One division, the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), is responsible for developing and enforcing safety standards and regulating the drug approval process. It assures that available drugs are safe and effective, and keeps harmful drugs off the market.