The FDA used to have a long backlog of drug approval applications due to understaffing. This problem was eventually addressed by the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, which established filling fees for drug approvals and a deadline to review new drug applications. The filling fees were a way to make the cost of additional staffing politically palatable, and are much less than the costs of approval delays.
Most of the cost of patents usually comes from patent lawyers, anyway. Yes, the US patent office will probably have to raise its fees at some point, but it’s also had trouble hiring enough examiners, and not just because of the salaries offered.
The FDA used to have a long backlog of drug approval applications due to understaffing. This problem was eventually addressed by the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, which established filling fees for drug approvals and a deadline to review new drug applications. The filling fees were a way to make the cost of additional staffing politically palatable, and are much less than the costs of approval delays.
Most of the cost of patents usually comes from patent lawyers, anyway. Yes, the US patent office will probably have to raise its fees at some point, but it’s also had trouble hiring enough examiners, and not just because of the salaries offered.