Senate readies smaller FDA budget boost

A Senate appropriations committee Tuesday approved a bill that would increase FDA's FY19 budget to $3 billion in discretionary funding, an increase of $159 million over FY18. This would be $314 million below the Trump administration's request and $149 million below a proposed House of Representatives bill. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies approved the bill Tuesday.

In a statement, the subcommittee said the funding would include an $88.5 million increase for FY19 over enacted FY18 levels for medical safety initiatives, plus $59 million for opioid abuse prevention. The House version released earlier this month included a potential increase of $303 million for medical safety activities and $30 million to combat opioid abuse (see BioCentury Extra, Feb. 12)...