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The Case For US FDA To Be More Political In Its Approval Decisions

 
• By Michael McCaughan

No one thinks it is a good idea for the US FDA Commissioner or some other higher up political actor to decide when and if to approve new drug applications. But it might not be so bad if the scientific staff at FDA paid a bit more attention to ‘political’ issues before making some decisions.

US FDA In the political blender (Nielsen Hobbs; the Pink Sheet | Alamy images)
FDA SHOULD BETTER ASSESS POLITICAL SPIN IF IT DOES NOT WANT TO SEE ITS DECISIONS CUT TO PIECES. • Source: Nielsen Hobbs; the Pink Sheet | Alamy images

At the conclusion of the Senate confirmation hearing for Robert Califf to return as US Food & Drug Administration Commissioner, the Health Committee Chair, Patty Murray (D-Wash.), reminded the nominee she “will be watching closely to make sure decisions will be governed by the data, not by politics.”

She was speaking specifically in response to Republican committee members eager to re-open debate over access to the abortifacient mifepristone....

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