Hiring freeze could hit FDA reviews

A federal hiring freeze could put FDA in a vice, squeezed between complying with obligations to implement new programs created by the 21st Century Cures Act and meeting user fee goals for medical product reviews. If it is forced to choose, the agency is likely to let review goals slip.

A day after President Trump ordered a short-term federal hiring freeze and demanded a long-term plan to downsize the federal government, the effects on FDA are unclear. The agency referred questions to the White House, which hasn’t responded to inquiries. Agency officials said privately that they do not know whether and how the freeze will be imposed on FDA. The agency’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research has hundreds of unfilled positions. ...