ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, February 7, 1997               TAG: 9702070044
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL   PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: Associated Press

FDA PROPOSES TO LOOSELY REGULATE HOME DRUG TESTS

In a bid to defuse a fight with Congress, the Food and Drug Administration proposed Thursday that home drug tests be regulated, albeit loosely, to ensure they give accurate results.

Congressional critics, many of whom challenge the FDA's right to involve itself in the kits, said the agency's decision to make home urine test kits available is a step in the right direction. But they voiced misgivings it may imperil other tests that examine hair for signs of drugs.

``It's a victory, of sorts,'' said Rep. Thomas Bliley, R-Va., chairman of the House Commerce Committee. ``The bad news is that (the FDA) felt compelled to stick their noses into this in the first place.''

The FDA has made ``a small concession to common sense,'' Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, said Thursday as he opened a hearing of his Commerce subcommittee on the subject.

At issue are kits that let consumers collect and mail to drug-testing laboratories samples of urine or hair. They are meant to allow parents to determine privately whether children are using illegal drugs.

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