FDA has requested a budget of $4.9 billion in the fiscal year 2016 budget to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and protect and promote the public health.

The requested amount represents a 9 percent increase from the 2015 budget. According to FDA, the overall request includes $147.7 million tied to key areas that include the implementation of the FSMA and the management of critical medical products issues.

 “This budget accurately reflects the challenges FDA faces in a global regulatory environment, which is becoming increasingly complex and scientifically demanding,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg. “As FDA’s mission expands on several fronts –– from the regulation of tobacco products to supporting the development of personalized medicine to ushering in a new era of food safety – we must possess the resources to run a modern agency that fosters innovation and ensures the safest possible drug and food supply for the American people.”