(FDA: Silver Spring, Maryland) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced the formation of a task force to develop recommendations for enhancing the transparency of the agency’s operations and decision-making process.

To support the efforts of the task force, the FDA issued a Federal Register notice announcing a June 24, 2009, public meeting to solicit recommendations on how the agency can make more available, useful, and understandable information on its activities and decisions.

"Our administration is committed to making government open and transparent," says Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "The Transparency Task Force will give the American people a seat at the table and make the FDA more open and accountable."

"President Obama has pledged to strengthen our democracy by creating an unprecedented level of openness and public participation in government, and the FDA looks forward to participating in this process," says FDA commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “I have asked the Transparency Task Force to deliver recommendations to me for ways to make more information available and foster better understanding of decision-making.”

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