The
pharmaceutical industry seeks to renew the user fee law and add a new set of user fees that would pay for additional F.D.A. employees to evaluate all consumer drug ads before they are air. The user
fee law will die in the fall unless Congress acts to renew it.
Both the industry and its critics agree that there should be a pause before the advertising starts; that will give doctors time to learn about a new drug. The companies want the delay to be left up to them, but critics say the F.D.A. should require a wait of up to two years.
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