Charles Edwards Dies

Charles Edwards, who was commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration under President Nixon, has died, reports The New York Times. He was 87. Edwards oversaw a time of change at FDA, the Times notes. He took office when a new law required the agency to determine whether drugs worked, not just whether they were safe to use. In his time at FDA, Edwards oversaw increased labeling of drugs, like birth control pills, to include a discussion of risk and benefits as well as labeling of food with nutritional information. The Times adds that Edwards sought to find a balance between protecting consumers and not harming industry: "He worried that 'we can with a stroke of a pen wipe out an industry.'"