Gottlieb Reassures Staff as User Fee Deadline Approaches

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb sought to assure agency staff that Congress will reauthorize its user fee programs before the Sept. 30 deadline, which promise to provide the agency more than $1.4 billion in funding for reviewing activities and staff salaries in the next fiscal year. Anticipated device fees to be collected would increase from $130.2 million for the current fiscal year to $183.3 million in fiscal 2018 and to $213.7 million for fiscal 2022.

A finalized user fee reauthorization package — which passed the House July 12 — would leave the agency much more apt to hire rather than fire.

In an FDA-wide email, Gottlieb said he was confident the reauthorization bill would be considered in a timely manner — hopefully before the Senate adjourns for its summer recess, which has been delayed two weeks until mid-August.