Dr. Margaret Hamburg, commissioner of the F.D.A., asked for new legislation on Friday that would require makers of generic drugs to pay the F.D.A. a "user fee." Each generic drug company would pay the F.D.A. a fee to expedite their approval process.
This is not necessarily a new idea; major pharmaceutical companies pay fees each year to speed up the approval process of their major drugs. Dr. Hamburg justified her call to action by explaining that the F.D.A. has many inspections and approvals to make and that user fees would allow the FDA to better serve the public.
Some criticize this idea because they feel it creates a conflict of interest between generic companies and the government.
Do you think the process of "user fees" is unfair? Does it promote a conflict of interest?
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