Dec 13 2007
Nanotechnology was incorporated into more than $50 billion in manufactured goods last year, according to Lux Research. By 2014, the market will grow to $2.6 trillion. By 2011, over $15 billion in nano-enabled drugs and therapeutics will be sold -- up from more than $3 billion in 2006. And industry experts project that nanotechnology will be incorporated into $20 billion worth of consumer food products by 2010.
Yet, despite this rapid commercialization, no nano-specific regulation exists anywhere in the world. Most regulatory agencies remain in an information-gathering mode -- lacking the legal and scientific tools, information and resources they need to adequately oversee exponential nanotechnology market growth.
Now, for the first time, top officials at the agencies responsible for the regulation of nanotechnology products -- including the Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Department of Agriculture -- will meet at a Food and Drug Law Institute conference to discuss their plans for managing and monitoring these products.
At FDLI's 1st Annual Conference on Nanotechnology Law, Regulation and Policy, February 28-29, 2008, at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel, in Washington, D.C., food and drug industry representatives also will find out what's happening internationally on nanotech regulation, how venture capitalists look at the future of nanotechnology and what the leading corporations, scientific laboratories and academic centers are focusing on in this dynamic field.
This groundbreaking conference, co-sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars' Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, in partnership with Arizona State University and the Burdock Group, will address the crucial issues surrounding nanotechnology law, regulation and policy, including:
- What first and second generation nanotechnology products already are on the market, and what is to come?
- Is Congress ready to act on nanotechnology if federal regulators do not?
- Do Europe and Asia approach nanotechnology safety and oversight differently than the United States?
- How do consumers see nanoproducts?
- When it comes to nanotechnology, should size make a regulatory difference?
Michael Taylor, Research Professor of Health Policy, School of Public Health and Health Services, The George Washington University, and author of the most comprehensive report published on nanotechnology regulation at FDA, Regulating the Products of Nanotechnology, Does FDA Have the Tools It Needs?, will present the keynote address. Also, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), co-chair of the Congressional Nanotechnology Caucus, and invited luncheon speaker, will discuss future congressional actions in this area.
Top-level FDA officials, including Associate Commissioner for Science Norris Alderson; Deputy Commissioner for Policy Randall W. Lutter; Deputy Associate General Counsel Jeffrey Senger; and Director of Food Additive Safety Laura Tarantino, will appear on a special panel on FDA regulation of nanotechnology.