Tying FDA Fees to Stopgap Bill Seen as Missed Chance for Change

Health policy advocates are wary that a push to attach FDA user fee legislation to a government funding bill will deny the agency new drug approval oversight tools and other long-sought policy changes.

Senate health committee leaders said this week that they’re aiming to get user fee reauthorization language added to a continuing resolution that would keep the government funded past September. Analysts say the move would be a first for reauthorizing the industry fees that fund roughly half of the Food and Drug Administration’s budget.

But Republicans have said they want a “clean” stopgap funding bill with few policy ...