Growing Drug Industry Influence on FDA

Has the growing reliance of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on industry user fees changed how the pharmaceutical and medical device industries influence FDA regulation?  A review in The New England Journal of Medicine charts changing industry influence from the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA)of 1992 to the recent sixth re-authorization of PDUFA by President Trump this year.   The authors conclude that although 25 years of industry funding have shortened regulatory timelines, the user-fee model has fundamentally changed the way the FDA interacts with the drug industry. These changes may increase the risk that unsafe or ineffective drugs or medical devices enter the market.