Americans last year got access to 24 new medications before they became available in Europe. User fees from drug companies made this possible; they now provide about 1/3 of all funding that the FDA gets. This sets up a serious conflict of interest for the FDA that makes them beholden to Big Pharma's wishes.
Far too many look alike drugs are brought into the marketplace because patents run out and new sources of revenue are needed to provide a hefty return on investment. The FDA stated that user fees helped approve 34 of the 35 drugs they were planning to review.
