Budget bill extends pediatric priority review vouchers, boosts NIH, FDA

Congress has passed an omnibus spending and pandemic relief bill that increases biomedical research funding, funds FDA’s COVID-19 response activities, extends the pediatric priority review voucher program and closes loopholes in the Orphan Drug Act. 

The bill provides a $1.25 billion boost to the NIH budget, including money “to combat foreign threats to research,” as well as modest increases in FDA’s budget targeted to improving the influenza vaccine supply and enhancing medical device review processes. ...