FDA Attorney Edward Allera Quoted on FDA's Steps to Become Transparent in Federal Computer Week

Edward John Allera, chairman of the Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney's FDA/Biotechnology Section and a managing shareholder of the firm's Washington, D.C., office, was quoted in a June 15, 2009, article published by Federal Computer Week. The article, titled "FDA stumbles toward transparency," details steps the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking to become more "transparent."

As explained in the article, "Federal agencies have their marching orders from President Barack Obama — to become more transparent and open — but they have received little guidance on how to accomplish those goals. The Food and Drug Administration has formed an internal task force to develop recommendations for making information about FDA activities and decisions readily available to the public."

"An important part of becoming transparent is making sure workers at every level of the agency see the value of doing so," Allera said. "You've got to really get to the people in the trenches who have to deal with releasing information or not on a daily basis, and encourage them and show them how this can make their lives easier."

The task force will kick off its effort with a public meeting on June 24.