US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg
unveiled the agency’s blueprint for fostering biomedical innovation to
help speed medical advances to patients. FDA has come under fire from
many in industry and other critics for processes that are too slow and
unpredictable, which they say are forcing many developers of innovative
new healthcare products to seek approval from regulators in other parts
of the world first. The agency also faces pressure from Congress to help
the US maintain its status as a world leader in the pharmaceutical,
medical device and biotech industries. The report, entitled Driving Biomedical Innovation: Initiatives for Improving Products for Patients,
was released in conjunction with Hamburg’s appearance at the 3rd annual
Washington Ideas Forum, where she talked about some of the programs and
ideas outlined in the report, including the need to be more responsive
to small business.
Read more: