FDA - "our luck will run out"

Poor FDA; unloved and uncared-for.

"It seems to have become great sport for public officials to revel in FDA shortcomings," and even FDA agency scientists have been "duly dismissed" in recent years when they have "sought new resources and tools" to address potential threats to the nation's food and drug supply, William Hubbard, former associate commissioner of FDA, writes in a Washington Post opinion piece.

According to Hubbard, "When the public clamored a decade ago for faster access to new drugs," FDA developed procedures to speed the approval process, but "Congress has taken no steps to allow the agency to compel" pharmaceutical companies to do their part.

Meanwhile, "FDA scientists also recognized that rapid drug approvals can miss important safety indicators and requested funding to create state-of-the-art systems to monitor drug safety," but Congress and the White House have yet to appropriate any new funding, Hubbard says.

"These are not isolated examples," he notes, adding, "They are part of a pattern of neglect by officials of both parties in the White House and Congress," which have allowed the agency's budget to remain "essentially flat while major new responsibilities have been piled on." Hubbard concludes, "If we keep failing the FDA and the FDA in turns fails, it's inevitable that our luck will run out".

Insider's view: Aw diddums! Stop whining, get a grip and get fixed.

And while you are at it get OUT of politics and get Plan B approved!

That's better.

Source: medicalnewstoday.com