breaking: FDA transparency task force

Hey, another great example of the government telling us what's going on!

The NY Times explains it well:

For years, the Food and Drug
Administration has withheld information about drugs and
medical devices from the public when their makers cite
trade secrecy even in cases where the agency suspects
that the products are causing serious illness or death.

Now the new leadership at the F.D.A. may change that. The
Obama administration plans to announce on Tuesday that it
is setting up a task force within the agency to recommend
ways to reveal more information about F.D.A. decisions,
possibly including the disclosure of now secret data
about drugs and devices under study.

Check it out at the FDA site.

 *  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is launching a transparency task force.
 *  The Task Force will develop a plan to make key agency decisions
    and processes more understandable and accessible to the public.
 *  FDA is an agency with tremendous reach — having oversight of
    about 20 cents of every dollar consumers spend.  Yet FDA has been
    largely viewed as a black box, with many patients, doctors, and
    companies wondering how and why it makes important decisions.
 *  The Task Force is seeking public input on how to improve
    transparency while respecting other important policy goals, such
    as confidentiality of medical records.
 *  FDA is planning public meetings, a public docket, a blog with
    public comments and other innovative web tools at www.fda.gov.