Drug Companies Funding FDA Research

Charging Drug Companies user fees to have FDA reviewers to look into the safety of a new drug has been a policy of the FDA since 1971. These fees go to help fund FDA reviewers to complete their reviews within 12 months. Along with this, the majority of research on new pharmaceuticals is performed by the drug companies themselves, who must follow a 12-step process for the approval of new drugs. These two methods are meant to provide safe but quick approval of new medications. However, this process does raise some conflicts of interest and fear that the quick review time may lead to errors being made. However, a quick approval process helps get new drugs to sick patients faster.