U.S. Health Officials Welcome Members of the Dutch Parliament

May 1, 2006 - Eric Hargan, Esq., HHS Principal Associate Deputy Secretary, chaired a meeting with the Dutch Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health, Welfare, and Sports. Topics discussed included biomedical research and development, innovation, cost containment, pandemic influenza preparedness, influenza vaccine development, and the future of the pharmaceutical industry. HHS experts from the Office of Public Health Preparedness (OPHEP), International Flu Unit, National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Office of Global Affairs (OGHA), and the Office of Technology Transfer of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) spoke on their specific missions and programs.

On May 2, 2006, the Dutch delegation met with the Honorable Dr. Elias Zerhouni, M.D., Director of HHS/NIH to visit scientists and see programs on pharmaceuticals, genetics, molecular libraries and imaging. At the HHS/ FDA, the Dutch representatives met with Drs. Murray Lumpkin and David Kelly about development of new pharmaceuticals, the Critical Path Initiative, and HHS/FDA's roles in post-marketing surveillance and drug safety.

Last revised: October 10, 2007