The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced the first experimental drugs in its National Priority Voucher (CNPV) program. The goal is to expedite drug review processes for products aligned with critical U.S. national health priorities. Review times would go from 10 to 12 months to just one or two months.
But the initiative is opaque, according to U.S. Representative Frank Pallone and Senator Bernie Sanders. It risks favoritism, rushed reviews, and threats to public confidence, they argue.
In a letter addressed to FDA commissioner Martin Makary, Pallone and Sanders warned that the vouchers create a lucrative incentive that …