Challenging the FDA's authority isn't new – the agency's history shows what's at stake when drug regulation is in limbo

In addition to evaluating new drug applications, the FDA also inspects drug manufacturing facilities. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration/Flickr

Political pressure is nothing new for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency has frequently come under fire for its drug approval decisions, but attacks on its decision-making process and science itself have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recent challenges to the FDA’s authority have emerged in the context of reproductive rights.