Return to top of page

Alliance’s Bens Offers Testimony on User Fee Programs before Senate HELP Committee

Published April 4, 2017

United States Capitol Building with American flag.

Washington, D.C., April 4, 2017 – Today, the Alliance for Aging Research’s (Alliance) Vice President of Public Policy Cynthia Bens testifies before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions on reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) and the Medical Device User Fee Act (MDUFA). The committee hearing begins today at 10 a.m. EST and is available to watch here.

The PDUFA and MDUFA programs are due to be reauthorized by Congress in 2017. Both programs authorize the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to collect fees from industry to support its review activities. In turn, the FDA agrees to specific performance goals that would result in more timely access to essential prescription drugs and medical devices for patients.

In her testimony, Bens expresses the Alliance’s support for reauthorization of both user fee programs: “The Alliance for Aging Research strongly supports the continuation of the prescription drug and medical device user fee programs through the negotiated PDUFA VI and MDUFA IV agreements. The Alliance advocates for increased overall funding of the FDA, with strong emphasis on finding the right balance between user fees and appropriated funding. We think that the size and scope of the proposed fees within the PDUFA VI and MDUFA IV agreements is appropriate and necessary to increase the efficiency of regulatory processes, reduce the time it takes to bring safe and effective medical products to market, and put patients at the heart of new product development.”

To read Bens’ complete testimony, please go here. Bens is also available for interviews. For more information, please contact Noel Lloyd, Alliance communications director, at 202.370.7852 or through email.

About the Alliance for Aging Research
The Alliance for Aging Research is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the pace of scientific discoveries and their application in order to vastly improve the universal human experience of aging and health. The Alliance was founded in 1986 in Washington, D.C., and has since become a valued advocacy organization and a respected influential voice with policymakers. Visit www.agingresearch.org for more information.

###

News & Updates