The U.S. Senate has passed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Safety and Innovation Act by a vote of 92-4, and the bill, which reauthorizes the medical device user fee program for five years, is expected to be signed into law soon by President Obama.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the legislation last week; when enacted, it will authorize the FDA to collect user fees from industry to fund the review of innovator drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biologics, according to the FDA.
The Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA) said it applauded the bipartisan efforts of the House and Senate to reauthorize the program, which secures employment for thousands of Americans and brings more devices to market in a timely manner, according to the organization.
