Food and Drug Administration workshop on indirect mechanisms of carcinogenesis

A workshop sponsored by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was held on March 4-5, 1996, at the Lister Hill Auditorium of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The workshop considered both the scientific aspects and the regulatory implications of indirect-acting carcinogens. A wide variety of agents and of prospective mechanisms was discussed. The organizing committee for the workshop consisted of Drs. James Farrelly and Joseph DeGeorge of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Ronald J. Lorentzen and Sidney Green of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN), Martin D. Green of the Center for Biologics, Evaluation and Research (CBER), C. Darnell Jackson and Lionel A. Poirier of the National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR). Rosalie K. Elespuru of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), and David G. Longfellow of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Following an introduction by Dr. Poirier, who provided a description of indirect carcinogens, the major talks were grouped into three formal sessions: indirect-acting compounds and agents of FDA interest, biological and biochemical endpoints commonly seen with indirect agents, and specific problems associated with the indirect-acting compounds. A panel discussion followed and the concluding remarks were made by Dr. Bernard A. Schwetz, Associate Commissioner for Science, FDA.