STAT June 29, 2020
After being called off because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the FDA’s public meeting to discuss data strategy, an issue that is vital to the future of health care in the United States, is being held — virtually, of course — on Tuesday, June 30.
Like many regulatory bodies, the FDA innovates at a far slower pace than the private sector. This lag time has made it difficult for the FDA to develop a technology strategy that remains relevant from inception of a new drug to deployment.
This wasn’t always the case. Looking back to the mid-1990s, the FDA was a technological pioneer, putting in place the first systems that let pharma companies electronically report adverse effects. This new technology allowed...