Kennedy sets HELP agenda, FDA prepares for reforms and user fee debate

US Senator Edward Kennedy (Democrat, Massachusetts), has outlined the agenda for the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on drug safety and Food and Drug Administration reform. Over the coming year, the US Congress is expected to debate the renewal of the 1992 Prescription Drug User Fee Act, originally proposed by Democrats and renewed by Republicans in 1997.

Sen Kennedy told the Massachusetts-based newspaper, the Boston Globe, that "science has, too often, had to take a back seat at the very agency which should be setting the standard for objectivity and integrity." He added: "there is growing evidence that the dedicated professionals at the FDA have been pressured to trim their scientific views to the prevailing political winds." To overcome this, the Massachusetts Senator proposed to hold oversight hearings into the FDA in early 2007.

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