Medical device makers will have to wait a little longer for progress on implementation of the FDA’s Safety & Innovation Act, now that a meeting with a Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions committee has been canceled amid the federal government shutdown.
The hearing, originally scheduled for mid-morning Wednesday, was a chance for lawmakers on Capitol Hill to check in on the FDA’s progress toward launching programs that include the re-authorization of the Medical Device User Fee Act, among other initiatives.
The postponement of the hearing marks another instance in which the user fee program has been impacted by gridlock on Capitol Hill.
In March the FDA lost $210 million, or about 5.1% of its $4.1 billion 2013 budget, as a result of sequestration. Included in those cuts were the user fees medical device and pharmaceutical companies pay in order to ensure timely reviews of new devices and drugs.
A pair of bills filed in the House and Senate to try and protect the user fees from the sequester haven’t moved forward in either chamber.
