Guam Series: FDA Presence and Impact in Pacific Islands Pt. 4 of 5: FDA establishes new screening lab as part of a cross-program initiative

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Host John Zaccone: Welcome to a brand-new episode of On The Front Lines. I'm John Zaccone, your new host for this OII podcast, a forum where we share the experiences and viewpoints of FDA employees at all levels who work to protect your family's health. 

This is the fourth episode in our five-part series focusing on FDA's presence in the Pacific Islands. My guest today is JaCinta Batson. She serves as the director of the Satellite Laboratory Branch (SLB) at the National Forensic Chemistry Center (NFCC). We'll be discussing the FDA's new screening lab established in the Pacific Islands as part of a cross-program initiative. 

So, JaCinta, welcome and thanks for joining me.

SLB Director JaCinta Batson: Thank you, John. My pleasure.

Mr. Zaccone: Now, a new lab opening anywhere in the U.S. would certainly play an immediate and significant role in protecting public health. But what we're talking about is even more impactful. A new FDA lab opening on the island of Guam, the first of its kind in the region. So, tell us more about why this lab is so important.

Ms. Batson: It's important for the FDA, the Guamanians, as well as U.S. military personnel stationed in that region. Currently, we have very limited knowledge of what's coming through and on the island. It's important to make sure that all of these citizens have access to legitimate, authentic pharmaceutical products. 

In the past, we've seen a variety of counterfeit products, even on the mainland, despite all of our resources here at home. Some of these products have contained the wrong active pharmaceutical ingredient, opioids, and even some cases, no drugs at all. So, it's even more critical that a lab is present and operational there, to react quickly and identify these dangers in order to protect the public health.

Mr. Zaccone: Now, you mentioned counterfeit products. What surprised you most about these goods that you were finding on the island?

Ms. Batson: Actually, we weren't surprised at all. For decades, the National Forensic Chemistry Center (NFCC) has analyzed thousands of counterfeits, adulterated, illicit, and opioid containing products. The Satellite Laboratory Program located at NFCC, was established to bring NFCC’s scientific knowledge and instrumentation to the various U.S. points of entry. This was done to reduce the American public's exposure to illicit products entering the country.

The products received in Guam have ranged from erectile dysfunction, anti-rheumatoid, fat burners, to nootropics. Similar to samples we have analyzed in the past at NFCC.

Mr. Zaccone: What were some of the challenges you faced in setting up the lab?

Ms. Batson: There were several challenges. The first was finding an adequate site. We spent time on the island looking at potential locations with available space to share. However, there was only one that, with minor modifications, met our needs. The Department of Environmental Health provided FDA with three rooms to be used as office and laboratory space. 

The next step was to make the laboratory space amendable to our needs. We had to figure out how to get an air conditioner installed and our normal laboratory supplies, like solvents, instrumentation, and miscellaneous laboratory items to Guam. We assumed that since Guam is a U.S. territory, that we can use the same daily processes. Boy, were we wrong. We quickly learned that these things that we take for granted here stateside are much more difficult to get access to in Guam.

Guam is located between Honolulu, Hawaii, and the Philippines. It’s actually closer to Asia, not North America, and it's about an eight-hour flight from Honolulu. Normally, laboratory items are received by air and ground transportation. However, we're limited to receiving most items by sea freight due to aviation regulations. In most cases, we cannot use our normal stateside vendors to purchase solvents and gases, the waste collection, and some of our laboratory supplies. We tried contacting companies by email and phone several months before our tentative open date, with no luck. We couldn't place orders until we were present on the island and had face-to-face conversations with vendors and built working relationships. Placing an order was easy after these relationships were established. 

However, the next obstacle was receiving the items. For example, an order of solvents that typically take 2-4 days stateside to receive, currently takes four months in Guam. Due to these limitations, we had to build more relationships with our military and university partners to get the laboratory operational.

Mr. Zaccone: So, the lab in Guam is now fully up and running, correct?

Ms. Batson: That's correct. We've been operational since mid-June 2023. Our tentative open date was May of 2023, but that was delayed due to the Category 4, almost 5, Typhoon Mawar. We arrived on a Thursday and the typhoon hit Guam the following Wednesday. 

Like I said, opening this laboratory was a challenge. However, through perseverance, relationship building, and a lot of luck, we made it happen.

Mr. Zaccone: Lieutenant Claire Tipton actually talked about that typhoon in our last episode. How devastating it was. But also, how it inspired a remarkable level of cooperation between all the people and the various government agencies all working together. So, tell us more about how you overcame the challenges posed by that storm.

Ms. Batson: The team is very passionate about our work. We use that passion, determination, and lessons learned from other satellite laboratories in planning and fostering relationships in order to succeed. Now, thankfully, we have very few challenges remaining. 

The key to making this work in Guam was and is human interaction. That's how the Guamanians like to do business.

Mr. Zaccone: And that makes sense. One constant thread throughout this series has been the emphasis placed on person-to-person communication. Every guest I've spoken to thus far has really underscored that. 

I have so many more questions about the lab but amazingly enough, we're already out of time. As we wrap up, is there anything you'd like to share that we haven't touched on yet?

Ms. Batson: Yes. Since opening the lab, we've been working with FDA's Office of Import Operations to make sure that the laboratory is getting the appropriate type and number of samples. Samples have been collected through undercover buys and operations, and we're currently planning more operations for this year. 

Going forward, we'll continue building this collaboration between the FDA and Guamanian leadership to make sure that we're maximizing this partnership in the interests of protecting the American consumer and public health.

Mr. Zaccone: Well, JaCinta, I want to thank you for letting us know more about the important work being done by FDA’s screening lab and, of course, its partners in the Pacific Islands. 

In this episode, we talked about the extraordinary efforts being made by the FDA's lab personnel on Guam. Their dedication to overcoming the unique scientific and logistical challenges faced by operating a highly technical facility on a remote island is critical to the agency's mission of protecting public health.

If you'd like to hear more about FDA's impact in the Pacific Islands, you can visit our website at www.FDA.gov to access existing and upcoming episodes in this series. Once there, you can also learn more about this podcast, you can access our featured profiles and subscribe to OII News and Stories. 

Once again, I'm John Zaccone, your new host of On The Front Lines, An OII Podcast. 

Until next time, be well.