Congress passed a consolidated appropriations bill that would give the FDA nearly $1.73 billion in funding for fiscal 2008.

The bill, H.R. 2764, gives the FDA more than $79 million above the president’s budget request and $145 million above the fiscal 2007 funding level. It also gives the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research more than $682 million, of which $41.9 million is available for the Office of Generic Drugs. The Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research would receive more than $236 million.

However, none of the appropriated funds can be used to fund the agency’s Reagan-Udall Foundation, which promotes the Critical Path Initiative.

The House passed H.R. 2764 Dec. 17 by a vote of 214–189. The Senate passed a revised version Dec. 18, which includes funds for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, by a vote of 76–17, and the House agreed to send the revised version to the president Dec. 19.  

The committees addressed other issues affecting the FDA in their explanation of the bill. For example, the committees encouraged the FDA to limit granting financial conflict-of-interest waivers to advisory committee members “to the greatest extent possible.” While the committees were encouraged by the FDA’s announcement earlier this year that it would limit the number of waivers, they said the agency should do more.