FDA officials have traveled to Cuba, for instance, to work on medical device regulations. They have gone to Taiwan, a country not officially recognized by the United States, and to India and Thailand, even though relationships with those countries are strained by disagreements over copyright and patent laws. By way of a computerized communications link through the Department of State and regular mailings to embassies and foreign health officials, FDA also informs and receives information from other countries about recalls, new policies and regulations, and health hazards. International Harmonization Inspections and technical assistance are not FDA's only international concerns, however. The agency is also working to establish standard regulations worldwide for products it regulates.
Regulations governing food, drugs and medical devices now vary widely among countries.
International harmonization may speed new drug and medical device approvals, help FDA use its resources more efficiently, and ease trade restrictions between nations. For example, FDA has agreements with some countries to exchange data from drug testing so that scientists don't have to duplicate efforts. Recently, the United States and Canada worked together to evaluate DDI, a drug to combat the AIDS virus. Both countries approved the drug in record time and on the same date. FDA is negotiating especially with Japan and the European Community to harmonize drug testing requirements, since 90 percent of drugs come from those countries and the United States.