Healthcare Priorities

Priority Number 1: Protect big pharma's financial interests.

Generic Drugs Hit Backlog At FDA

At a time when the use of low-cost generic drugs is being embraced as one of the few ways to rein in skyrocketing health care costs, the Food and Drug Administration has a backlog of more than 800 applications to bring new generic products to the market -- an all-time high.

As a result, experts say, fewer generic drugs will be available to consumers in the years ahead than the industry is ready and able to provide. The FDA, however, has told Congress that the office that reviews new generics needs no additional money, and the agency has no plans to hire more reviewers.

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