Two happy people on the Nile
Maybe Congress reads this blog, because they are attempting
to do something about the FDA, my long-time punching bag.
As this Washington Post article explains, FDA is being encouraged – nay, required – to
speed up its activities. More money is
provided, and restrictions are loosened, IF THIS BUNCH OF LEGISLATION IS
ENACTED INTO LAW. You would think this
would be a slam-dunk; both parties are in favor, and President Obama already
has his approval pen in hand. Yet this
matter has been held up for months, and may not survive. Why?
Why, politics, of course.
To put it succinctly, Democrats want more, and Republicans
worry about where the money will come from.
Then there special-interest groups, ranging from the AFL-CIO to the
Breast Cancer Alliance, that want specific fiddles. My opinion: The perfect can be the death of
the good. For God’s sake, let’s get
something written into law quickly, ‘cause only the Lord can predict after the inauguration
– and even He is scratching his head!
I should add that I now partially comprehend why the FDA grinds so slowly; not only are
they entangled in restrictions, but they are also short-handed. Apparently they are 700-odd technical staff
short, partly because they can’t meet the salaries available in the private
sector. This pending legislation will
fix that, if and when.
Read this.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/long-stalled-fda-reform-sits-on-senates-lame-duck-calendar/2016/11/22/14268224-b040-11e6-840f-e3ebab6bcdd3_story.html
Yup, blowback.
ReplyDeleteToday’s news indicates that those two paragons of the Progressive movement – Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders – oppose this bill; they characterize it as corporate welfare aimed at Big Pharma as well as a weakening of our defense against bad drugs. If you read this blog at all carefully you will know what I think of this development.