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Legislators reached a tentative deal Friday to reauthorize the FDA's authority to collect user fees, extending funding to maintain and streamline the agency's product approval process. The bipartisan leaders of the Senate's and U.S. House of Representatives' health committees released a draft of the bipartisan Food and Drug Administration Reauthorization Act Friday. The act would reauthorize the FDA's four user fee agreements that renew the FDA's authority to collect user fees from the makers of prescription brand drugs, medical devices, generic drugs and biosimilars, and several crucial programs at the FDA. The fees would incrementally increase year over year. (Kacik, 4/14)

Top Republicans and Democrats in Congress have reached a preliminary deal to extend funding for several programs that are crucial to the approval of new drugs and medical devices in the United States. The deal announced Friday would reauthorize four user fee agreements that drug and medical device makers and the Food and Drug Administration depend upon to get products approved. (Reid, 4/14)