One of the Food and Drug Administration’s top officials said in a new video that he is not blocking drugs that are supported by evidence of safety and efficacy, responding to critics who have said he is responsible for a low number of drug approvals.
“We’re actually trying to ease and guide successful products to market. That is our goal,” Dr. Vinay Prasad said in a video released by the FDA on Oct. 20. “We are not a wall. We’re actually a conduit to bring successful products faster to patients who need it.”
Prasad is the FDA’s chief medical and scientific officer as well as the director of the agency’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, which handles applications for vaccines and certain drugs….