Whatever else is going on… the FDA has never been graded on speed, and plenty of ink has been spilled in non-covid times about how many people die, and how many QALYs are lost, because of delays that make little difference to the eventual outcome, but look to the general public like Serious People Making Decisions Carefully.
The FDA is effectively never graded at all. At the same time, politicians do something push for the FDA to just approve a drug. Big Pharma who hires FDA officials likely also rewards officials for approving their drugs faster.
They permit themselves the time, and with it buy a mantel of authority in the public eye.
This is essentially a conspiracy theory. It might be true that’s what happens but as rationalists I don’t think we should believe in conspiracy theories without understanding the underlying dynamics. I asked this question because I believe the underlying dymamics are important to judge whether or not it makes sense to believe in that conspiracy theory.
Fair enough, maybe it is a conspiracy theory, though to me it seems like the default adaption of what I would expect to happen. It’s a good question regardless.
Also RE: pharma companies wanting their drugs approved faster: yes, they do, too slow lowered their ROI, but also limits their pool if competitors to those already prepared to navigate the approval process. They may not want it to be too fast either.
The FDA is effectively never graded at all. At the same time, politicians do something push for the FDA to just approve a drug. Big Pharma who hires FDA officials likely also rewards officials for approving their drugs faster.
This is essentially a conspiracy theory. It might be true that’s what happens but as rationalists I don’t think we should believe in conspiracy theories without understanding the underlying dynamics. I asked this question because I believe the underlying dymamics are important to judge whether or not it makes sense to believe in that conspiracy theory.
Fair enough, maybe it is a conspiracy theory, though to me it seems like the default adaption of what I would expect to happen. It’s a good question regardless.
Also RE: pharma companies wanting their drugs approved faster: yes, they do, too slow lowered their ROI, but also limits their pool if competitors to those already prepared to navigate the approval process. They may not want it to be too fast either.