Food and Drug Law Institute sponsors major conference on Nanotechnology Law, Regulation and Policy

Posted: January 7, 2009
Food and Drug Law Institute sponsors major conference on Nanotechnology Law, Regulation and Policy
(Nanowerk News) Nanotechnology was incorporated into more than $60 billion in manufactured goods last year. By 2011, over $15 billion in nano-enabled drugs and therapeutics will be sold--up from more than $3 billion in 2006. And industry experts project that nanotechnology will be incorporated into $20 billion worth of consumer food products by 2010.
With this rapid commercialization -- and with a new Administration in power - all eyes are on federal government regulators to find out how they intend to deal with this burgeoning issue. FDLI, in partnership with Burdock Group and Arizona State University ahs assembled -- in one forum -- top officials at the agencies responsible for the regulation of nanotechnology products -- including the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency to discuss their plans for managing and monitoring these products.
FDA speakers include: Norris Alderson, FDA Nanotechnology Task Force; John Weimer, Office of Chief Counsel; Subhas Malghan, Center for Devices and Radiological Health; Linda Katz, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition; Mitchell Cheeseman, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition; and Douglas Throckmorton, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
Jessica Barkas, Program Attorney in the Chemical Control Division of the Environmental Protection Agency, also will be speaking at the meeting.
At FDLI's 2nd Annual Conference on Nanotechnology Law, Regulation and Policy, February 18-199, 2009, at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, in Washington, D.C., food and drug industry representatives also will find out what's happening internationally on nanotech regulation, how venture capitalists look at the future of nanotechnology and what the leading corporations, scientific laboratories and academic centers are focusing on in this dynamic field.
This groundbreaking conference will seek answers to these questions:
> What progress is FDA making in implementing its Nanotechnology Task Force Report?
> What can FDA learn from EPA and other oversight agencies in NNI?
> Will the heavily Democratic Congress invest in and/or regulate more than under the Bush Administration?
> Are workers exposed to asbestos-like dangers from dealing with nano products?
> How does a responsible company devise a risk management plan for nanotech development -- one that takes into account OSHA and NIOSH policy?
> What is reasonable and required federal funding for U.S nanotechnology R&D, including monies for safety and social policy research?
> Are China and Japan ahead of the U.S. in nanotech development?
> For nanotechnology products and processes, should particle size make a regulatory difference?
To register for the conference, visit www.fdli.org or call (800) 956-6293 or (202) 371-1420.

Source: Food and Drug Law Institute