Sunday, October 2, 2022
HomeEconomicsPharma-Funded FDA Gets Drugs Out Faster, But Some Work Only ‘Marginally’ and...

Pharma-Funded FDA Gets Drugs Out Faster, But Some Work Only ‘Marginally’ and Most Are Pricey


John here. This article about the pharma-funded system at the FDA highlights a number of its downsides. Importantly, it shows that the process is becoming more prevalent and, because of the funding structure now in place, will not be easy to unpick. With such a large proportion of the drug regulation budget deriving directly from drug makers, and more input from drug makers at every stage in the process, the divide between the FDA and drug makers is rapidly shrinking.

By Arthur Allen, a KHN Senior Correspondent who writes about the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry as well as covid-related topics. Originally published at Kaiser Health Network.

Dr. Steven-Huy Han, a UCLA liver specialist, has prescribed Ocaliva to a handful of patients, although he’s not sure it helps.

As advertised, the drug is lowering levels of an enzyme called alkaline phosphatase in their blood, and that should be a sign of healing for their autoimmune disease, called primary biliary cholangitis. But “no one knows for sure,” Han said, whether less enzyme means they won’t get liver cancer or cirrhosis in the long run.

RELATED ARTICLES

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

- Advertisment -
Google search engine

Most Popular

Recent Comments