Dr. Margaret Hamburg, commissioner of the F.D.A., asked for new legislation on Friday that would require makers of generic drugs to pay the F.D.A. a "user fee." Each generic drug company would pay the F.D.A. a fee to expedite their approval process.
This is not necessarily a new idea; major pharmaceutical companies pay fees each year to speed up the approval process of their major drugs. Dr. Hamburg justified her call to action by explaining that the F.D.A. has many inspections and approvals to make and that user fees would allow the FDA to better serve the public.
Some criticize this idea because they feel it creates a conflict of interest between generic companies and the government.
Do you think the process of "user fees" is unfair? Does it promote a conflict of interest?
paying a user fee is just a vote for the continuation of the best possible check point--the free market system.
ReplyDeleteI suppose so. But does government interaction with the pharmaceutical industry really promote the free market? Seems like a conflict of interest. Just playing devils advocate.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Jake. It seems to me this isn't a case of the federal government letting the free market work. Where is the uproar about "picking winners" in this case? It's definitely a conflict of interest.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. The government agency that is approving drugs (FDA) should not be relying on fees from the companies discovering them.
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