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ARTICLE | Politics, Policy & Law

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March 3, 1997 8:00 AM UTC

WASHINGTON - Members of Congress attacked new FDA user fees contained in the Clinton administration's fiscal 1998 budget proposal at a hearing of the House Appropriations Committee's agriculture subcommittee. The subcommittee chairman, Rep. Joe Skeen (R-N.M.) said it is unlikely that the new fees, which are being resisted by medical device manufacturers, will be enacted

Failure to approve the $132 million in new user fees would leave a hole in the FDA budget that could threaten the viability of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA), according to Biotechnology Industry Organization President Carl Feldbaum. He said negotiations for renewing PDUFA, which expires in September, are based on industry's assumption that it is supplementing federal appropriations, not making up for budget cuts...