The FDA's take on Medical Innovation

By Dr Nicola Davies

In recent years, the US Food and Drug Administration has taken several steps to better position itself to support medical innovation. Still, the director of the Administration’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), Dr Janet Woodcock, has recently criticized certain research practices that she feels frustrates the progress of innovation. Praising the quality of the science, she notes that it is just not enough, reminding researchers of the ultimate goal – to improve human health, not just obtain FDA approval. 1

Where medical innovation falls short