A group of biotech investors in Silicon Valley tell the San Jose Business Journal that the confirmation of Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach as head of the FDA could trigger a new era at the agency, offering a clear path to agency approvals and an upsurge in new drugs. There's the usual litany about agency missteps, including the Vioxx debacle, followed by endorsements of Eschenbach's knowledge of science and the confidence he enjoys in the biotech world. If nothing else, the drug development industry is clearly growing weary of seeing the FDA operating in something of a regulatory limbo.
- here's the report on the investment front from the San Jose Business Journal