Moments ago, the Senate voted 93-1 to pass S. 1082, The Food and Drug Administration Revitalization Act. The two primary aims of the legislation are to renew the Prescription Drug User Fee Act and to generally strengthen the regulatory authority of the FDA.

Both The New York Times' and The Washington Post's editorial boards have weighed in on the Senate's Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) reauthorization. The Times brings us back to the crux of the issue: FDA's power to require the drug industry to pay for drug approvals. While these so-called user fees are an significant source of revenue for FDA, The Times articulates the concerns of many who are following the issue:

Be sure to check out the latest issue of our biweekly newsletter, The Watcher. Regulatory policy articles this time: OSHA's Lack of Standard Setting under Fire White House Tightens Grip on Regulatory Power Grab House Subcommittee Steps Up Oversight on Regulatory Changes

The National Institutes of Health are once again under fire for relying on scientific consultants with industry ties. In March, OMB Watch reported on a contractor essentially running an office which researches reproductive health. In this instance, the potential for irresponsible contracting is jeopardizing one of the federal government's most important scientific products — the Report on Carcinogens (RoC). NIH hires the Constella Group to prepare the RoC which is intended to be an authoritative study on the most significant cancer-causing substances to which humans are exposed.