New Year, new start: Learning from past mistakes

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t always get it right and often comes under much public criticism, especially in recent years. It is important for the federal agency to learn from its mistakes and make positive changes moving forward if they are to restore the public’s trust and confidence in them. Dr Nicola Davies explores some of the recent criticism faced by the FDA and discusses some of the changes they might choose to implement going forwards in 2020.

Trump’s deregulation

When President Donald Trump came into office in 2017, he vowed to cut FDA regulations by 75% to 80%, “at a level that nobody's ever seen before.” Since this statement was made, the FDA has seen a massive decrease in the number of compliance and enforcement actions. The number of “warning letters” issued by the agency have decreased by a third since 2017. These letters highlight violations and provide a means to keep ineffective and dangerous drugs off the market. Deregulation under Trump’s administration has been met with much criticism, with a real worry being that a less stringent review process will increase patient risk.