Today the Food and Drug Administration released relaxed guidelines for human testing by drugmakers. The guidelines are meant to apply more modern scientific techniques and ease manufacturing requirements to speed up testing on human subjects and therefore bring drugs to the market faster. Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, has been conducting oversight of the FDA’s consumer protections and made the following comment on today’s announcement.
“Of course people want to get safer, better drugs faster, but there have to be sufficient checks and balances in the drug approval process. At a time when new questions are being raised about whether participants in clinical trials are protected and treated ethically, the FDA is loosening the reins on drug companies. It’s no secret that the FDA is too cozy with the drug industry, so I’m concerned for those who will be receiving these experimental drugs. I’ll work to ensure that these guidelines don’t compromise human safety."
Source: Ranking Member’s News
