New push on for FDA reform legislation

Senator Ted Kennedy is set to ratchet up the pressure for FDA reform at a Senate hearing today. The move is aimed at pushing reform legislation that would mandate new post-approval studies as well as give the agency more authority to update drug labels. Lawmakers are also likely to hear plenty of calls for new funding support for the FDA.

- here's an article on Kennedy's plans from The Boston Globe

PLUS: FDA Deputy Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has been calling for drug developers to pay higher fees so that more resources could be channeled to tracking a drug's safety once it hits the market. Report

ALSO: It started with a controversial video and ended with the victory of Democrat Claire McCaskill in Missouri. But as William Saletan at Slate observes, the biotech industry's impact on politics will have wide-ranging effects in the coming years. Report

Related Article:
Draft proposals open path to experimental drugs. Report
New rules could relax standards for Phase I drugs. Report