The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to address misuse of medications and preventable adverse reactions to drugs through a new program called the "Safe Use Initiative."
The federal agency said it will hold public hearings; evaluate drug package inserts, labels, and instructions; and work with advocacy groups, healthcare professionals and organizations, and consumers to identify problem areas and products.
Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's drug division, told Dow Jones Newswires that the effort is "a paradigm shift for FDA ... We are going beyond our traditional role as regulator."