FDA Receives Small Funding Boost In Senate Appropriations Bill
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could see an addition $24 million in funding under a bill cleared by the Senate Appropriations Committee on 26 April.
The bill, The Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2013, would increase overall FDA appropriations to $2.54 billion, or a 1% increase over its Fiscal Year 2012 appropriated amount.
BioCentury notes the increase is greater than the amount requested by President Barack Obama in his budget request. The amount does not include monies received by FDA from industry user fees.
An analysis done by TheAlliance for a Stronger FDA notes the amount is actually a combination of a $47.1 million increase for some programs and a $23.3 million decrease for other key areas.
Among the areas getting an increase include advancing medical countermeasures ($3.5M), safety inspections in China ($10M), facilities rental payments ($21.1M) and food safety (12.5M).
However, two key areas are receiving funding cuts: technology and facilities repair.
After a Government Accountability Office report blasted FDA's technology program expenditures, the Senate Appropriations Committee called for a more "efficient use of [FDA's] information technology resources," writes The Pink Sheet.
FDA will lose $19.5M from its Mission Accomplishments and Regulatory Compliance Services (MARCS) program and another $3.5 million from its facilities and building repair budget.
The latter could prove controversial, as several Senators and House members, including Sens. Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski and Reps. Steny Hoyer, Chris Van Hollen and Donna Edwards have been highly supportive of facilities funding initiatives recently.
It is unclear whether the increases will survive the House appropriations process, which is likely to be less amicable to a funding increase for FDA in light of the current federal fiscal environment. The House's markup is set to occur in May, reports The Alliance for a Stronger FDA.
Read more:
BioCentury - FY13 appropriations bill seeks 1% bump in FDA funding
Regulatory Focus - Report: Future of FDA's $280 Million IT Improvement Program 'Uncertain'
Regulatory Focus - Report: Obama Budget Unlikely to Contain Funds for FDA White Oak Campus
The Pink Sheet - Senate Panel Approves FDA Appropriations, With Strong Words On Agency IT Systems (Subscription)
GEN - Senate Appropriations Approves FDA Budget for FY 2013
Food Safety News - Senate Committee Seeks $22 Million Boost for FDA