Enforcement Actions Drop 60%: Pharmaceutical Industry Regulatory Capture of FDA

| Importance: 8/10 | Status: confirmed

Internal agency data reveals a dramatic decline in FDA enforcement actions against pharmaceutical companies. Annual warning letters dropped from over 130 in the late 1990s to just three in 2023, indicating a significant reduction in regulatory oversight. Investigations by ProPublica and HHS show systemic challenges including minimal foreign factory inspections (only 6% in 2022) and repeated exemptions for banned manufacturing facilities.

Key Actors

Regulatory Enforcement Division Industry Trade Groups Congressional Oversight FDA Leadership Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association

Tags

enforcement-decline regulatory-capture industry-influence oversight-failure pharmaceutical-industry fda-regulation

Sources (3)

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