Most useful to consumers will probably be the section titled "latest safety information" -- especially the part that allows people to search for information about drugs by name. Drugs that carry FDA safety alerts are highlighted.

Now comes a new effort to make it easier for consumers and health professionals to find information about the FDA's drug safety efforts on the Web. Instead of searching all over the agency's site, people can go to http://www.fda.gov/cder/drugSafety.htm .

The federal agency has taken several steps to address concerns, including issuing alerts about potential problems with drug safety earlier than in the past. But critics complain it still isn't doing enough.

During the past several years, the Food and Drug Adminstration has come under a steady drumbeat of criticism for failing to adequately monitor the safety of drugs sold in the U.S.

To see actions the agency has recently taken regarding drug safety, go to public health advisories. The actions are listed by date.

If you want to report an adverse reaction to a drug to the FDA, click on the MedWatch section and instructions on what to do will come up. You can also find recent drug safety notices from the MedWatch system here.

For those of you who want to check the extensive data and recommendations that appear on drug labels, you can find that online by clicking here.

This is only part of what's available through the new FDA site. Go take a look and see for yourself what's available. It may be useful, some day, when you have an issue with a medication you're taking or when you read a news item about drug safety.

Some cautions are in order. Critics continue to fault the FDA for not doing enough to investigate and monitor drugs that raise safety concerns. Some of the information listed on parts of the site can be quite technical. And it's a good idea, always, to talk to your doctor if you're worried about the safety of drugs you're taking or are experiencing troubling side effects.

The FDA was required to create the new drug safety Web resource by the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007.