Mr. Trump and his team of advisers are known to be very upset with the FDA because of its tight grip on the issues it cares about, so many have predicted that the agency will undergo a major change under the new administration.
Dr. Robert Califf, who was appointed to serve as the FDA’s administrator just over a year ago, is expected to undergo a major overhaul soon after the new administration takes office. “With President Trump and a business-led Congress, there’s a good chance that a lot of consumer protections will be eliminated over the next few years,” said Michael Jacobson, co-founder and president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
FDA is seen as an agency that suppresses innovation
Mr. Trump and his aides (especially former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is known for his work on health research) have long portrayed the FDA as a stifle of medical innovation. Gingrich has called the FDA a “job-breaker,” and he wrote in the National Review in 2013 that “the FDA is a giant prison that prevents medical breakthroughs.”
As a result, those in the public health field are bracing for major changes, including allowing imports of other drugs from outside the United States and fewer restrictions on clinical trials.
Squeeze the vape industry
The administration isn’t the only group that thinks the FDA is trying to overreach. Several groups in the health care and vaping industries have taken issue with the agency, arguing that it’s more interested in exerting control than in advancing public health.
The regulation, which was introduced and implemented in August, has created a significant disadvantage for small vape businesses. The consequence is that only Big Tobacco can afford to pay the expensive tobacco business license fees imposed by this agency.
Ultimately, if this remains unchanged, local vape shops will continue to close, and Big Tobacco, which is investing in vaping products, will continue to thrive without any impact on the market.
Waiting for change
There will naturally be mixed opinions when Mr. Trump takes office, and many organizations are worried that under his rule, some industries such as tobacco, healthcare, and food will have fewer regulations to comply with, leading to opportunities for unsafe products. One thing is for sure, the wind is changing, and how that change will happen… we will have to wait and see.
This article was published on Vapingpost by Diane Caruana and translated by The Vape Club.
