FDA's Hiring, Spending Binge

If you work in human resources at the Food and Drug Administration, your job is about to get a lot more challenging. The agency says it's going to hire 1,300 biologists, chemists, medical officers and other employees by October. That would triple the number of people hired between 2005 and 2007.

In the wake of the deaths of 81 people in the United States who took tainted versions of the blood thinner heparin, FDA has been under intense pressure from Congress over holes in its oversight and inspection processes. Yesterday, agency officials told Congress that they need $225 million annually to inspect foreign drugmakers every other year and another $100 million a year in their budget to keep up the pace of inspections with domestic plants.