The agency is responsible for licensing, monitoring, and regulation of cosmetics, drugs, foods, household hazardous products, medical devices[5] and electromagnetic radiation emitting devices, pesticides, tobacco and related products, and vaccines for safety, efficacy, and quality in the Republic of the Philippines.

As a regulatory agency under the Department of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, created under Republic Act No.

9711 otherwise known as “The Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009”, is mandated to ensure the safety, efficacy or quality of health products which include food, drugs, cosmetics, devices, biologicals, vaccines, in-vitro diagnostic reagents, radiation-emitting devices or equipment, and household/urban hazardous substances, including pesticides and toys, or consumer products that may have an effect on health which require regulations as determined by the FDA.

Among others, the FDA is also mandated to enforce the provisions of the following laws: Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Francisco Duque Sr. created a subcommittee on Food and Drugs in 1961–62 to initiate an administration bill to Congress to enact a law that would ensure the safety, purity and quality of foods, drugs and cosmetics being made available to the public.

To carry out the provisions of R.A. 3720, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was created with offices and laboratories constructed in the DOH San Lazaro Compound, Sta.

By Virtue of R.A. 3720, the powers, functions and duties of the Division of Food and Drug Testing of the Bureau of Research and Laboratories and the Board of Food Inspection, all personnel together with all their equipment, supplies, records, files and balance of appropriations were transferred to the FDA.

Jesus M. Azurin, The FDA was abolished and created the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD).

In 1987, the Bureau moved to its new site in Alabang, Muntinlupa, and acquired new facilities including state-of-the-art analytical instruments and a modern experimental animal laboratory with the $12M grant from the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

In 1987, R.A. 3720 was amended by Executive Order 175 to the new title "Foods, Drugs, and Devices and Cosmetics Act".

9711 [known as the "Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Act of 2009"], an act strengthening and rationalizing the regulatory capacity of the Bureau of Food and Drugs by establishing adequate testing laboratories and field offices, upgrading its equipment, augmenting its human resources complement, giving authority to retain its income, renaming it the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), amending certain sections of Republic Act No.