Additional Funding for NIH and FDA Approved by Senate
The U.S. Senate passed a Supplemental Appropriations bill last week to provide both the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) with additional funds for the 2008 Fiscal Year. The NIH was granted an additional $400 million and the FDA was issued $275 million according to Health Imaging.
The funds planned for the FDA are marked for different centers within the Agency. $48 million is earmarked for the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and $23 million for the Center for Biologics Evaluation. The funding is intended to allow the FDA to keep up with scientific advancements, as well as supporting regulatory decisions in an efficient and timely manner.
The funds earmarked for the FDA match a recent request sent by the FDA Commissioner, Andrew von Eschenbach, to Senator Arlen Specter. Details of that letter were described on HospitalBuyer. Dr. von Eschenbach requested an immediate infusion of funds to support quality and safety initiatives by the federal agencies.
NIH funds are intended to support new grant proposals submitted to the various Institutes. Estimates suggests that the additional funds will allow for support of approximately 700 additional grant proposals.
An additional $437 million will support the construction of polytrauma centers overseen by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Hurricane Katrina relief, in the amount of $350 million, will support relief efforts in Mississippi and Louisiana.
A similar funding bill was also passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. That bill, however, did not include any of the funds earmarked to support the FDA.
May 28, 2008 Related topics: Legal & legislative