Paul Howard: Pharmaceutical litigation for all, and safety for none

Congress is considering renewing the federal Prescription Drug User Fee Act, but plaintiff’s lawyers and their House allies are trying to hijack the legislation and use it to siphon billions of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry into their own pockets.

First passed in 1992 and signed into law by former President Bush, the user fee act is a critical piece of legislation that helps fund the Food and Drug Administration’s review of new drugs through fees the FDA uses to hire additional staff. Renewed every five years, the act has been widely praised for helping the FDA speed up its review of new drug applications.