The plan reflects the FDA’s belief that risk communications must be adapted to the needs of different audiences and should be evaluated to ensure their effectiveness. The plan also focuses on improving two-way communication through enhanced partnerships with government and non-government organizations. FDA noted that the public may not understand the context within which FDA makes decisions, for example, about recalls of particular foods or medical products.  By helping the public better understand how it approves and/or recalls products, FDA hopes to complement its premarket review and postmarket actions. In the past, FDA’s communication efforts arguably were largely restricted to overseeing the key vehicle for communicating risk information to the public—the labeling of FDA-regulated products. The process of negotiating with product manufacturers about changes to labeling or decisions to recall a product can be lengthy. Now, as the Internet and emerging technologies both enable and feed the public’s demand for greater transparency and communication frequency, these protracted waiting periods are giving way to communication in real time. Thus, designing a contemporary risk communication strategy is critical, says the plan, to FDA’s efforts to realize its potential for effective protection and promotion of health, enabled by 21st century knowledge and technology.

The plan comes three years after a study by the Institute of Medicine opined that the FDA had fallen short of its task of making sure that the drugs that come to the market are safe for use.  The IOM’s recommendations included clarification of the FDA’s role in gathering and communicating
additional information on the risks and befits of marketed products.  The FDA then created a new risk communication advisory panel to develop best practices for communicating the risks and benefits to the public.