Generic Drugs News: February 2007 Archives

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration yesterday proposed about a $100 million increase in the Food and Drug Administration's budget for fiscal 2008 that includes the first user fee for the generic drug industry as well a big boost in fees paid by brand-name pharmaceutical companies.

The FDA said the budget increase will be devoted to improving the screening and safety of new drugs; stepped-up oversight of medical devices; strengthening of food safety in light of recent food- borne outbreaks; and more timely reviews and approvals of lower-cost generic drugs.

The President's blueprint calls for $2.1 billion in overall FDA spending during fiscal 2008, up from a projected $2 billion for the current fiscal year.

All leading medical journals use independent experts, known as 'peer reviewers,' to decide whether research submitted to the journals is of good quality and worthy of publication. Journal editors know that some people are better at the job of peer-reviewing than others but it is hard to predict who will make a good reviewer.

n a recent survey, experienced reviewers were asked about training they had received in peer review and about other aspects of their background. The results, published in the latest issue of PLoS Medicine, show there are no easily identifiable types of formal training and experience that predict reviewer performance. The implications of these findings are discussed by the PLoS Medicine editors in an editorial to be published in the same issue.

source - Medical News Today