Today's FDA

In 1992, the passage of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Prescription Drug User Fee Act and, in 1997, the FDA Modernization Act resulted in an 85 percent increase in the number of employees at the FDA and in more efficient processes for the approval of drugs. In this article, the author identifies the remaining challenges facing the FDA. She contends that the FDA should improve its post-marketing surveillance, facilitate communication of information about the risks of drugs and devices, and contribute to efforts to control the cost of drugs.