FDA has new leverage over companies looking for a quicker drug approval

Congress gave the Food and Drug Administration more power to hold drugmakers accountable as part of the mammoth spending bill that became law in December 2022. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

The huge spending bill that became law last December also included fixes to a problem that has dogged the Food and Drug Administration for years.

Drugmakers could get fast approval for certain drugs — with preliminary data — on the promise that they would do more research after the fact to make sure the drugs worked. But companies were often slow to follow through on these so-called accelerated approvals, leaving patients uncertain about their medicines.