Anyone looking for some real insight into the FDA's ongoing effort to rehabilitate its reputation need only look at the two reports below that outline the agency's latest debacles. In one case, regulators following the mandates of an industry-friendly guideline appear poised to approve a powerful antibiotic for veterinarian use that is needed to protect human health. And the agency's effort to track post-marketing drug safety has failed, leaving staffers to rely on an inherently unreliable system. All this from an agency that was intended to make drug safety a top issue. It is difficult to expect too much from any government bureaucracy, but this latest let-down affects the entire drug development industry. If the FDA can't be relied on to track post-marketing safety, then the entire biopharma industry has to continue to suffer from a public backlash against the drug industry that could have a far-reaching impact on pricing and further regulation.
On another note, I want to thank everyone who tuned in for our webinar on economic development last week. We had a great turnout and an interesting discussion on the latest trends. Here's a link to the webinar, in case you missed it. - John Carroll