FDA risk advisory committee members named

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has selected 15 voting members to serve on its new Risk Communication Advisory Committee.

The committee will advise the FDA how to best communicate to the public the risks and benefits of FDA-regulated products so as to facilitate their optimal use.

The advisory committee was created in June and the FDA subsequently requested nominations for qualified individuals to serve as members. Officials said they received more than 240 nominations.

Professor Baruch Fischhoff of Carnegie Mellon University will serve as the committee's first chairman.

"Communicating effectively about the safety and effectiveness of drugs and other medical products is one of the central roles of FDA," said Randall Lutter, deputy commissioner for policy. "We were in such strong agreement about the value of the Risk Communication Advisory Committee that we expanded its scope to address communication regarding all products regulated by the agency, including our food supply responsibilities."

Members of the committee will serve for periods ranging from one to four years, with the panel's first meeting expected to be held during the first quarter of 2008, officials said.

The list of the committee's members is available at http://www.fda.gov/oc/advisory/OCRCACRoster.htm.