The group that represents medical device makers in Washington is coming out against the Trump administration’s firings of employees who regulate the industry.
Scott Whitaker, chief executive officer of the Advanced Medical Technology Association, sent a letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services Tuesday arguing that cuts to the Food and Drug Administration’s medical device center won’t save taxpayer money. That’s because some of the positions are funded through user fees that companies pay the FDA for the review of medical devices — an arrangement that was approved by Congress.
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“It saves no money and it does harm to the review process, which is a bad combination when you’re trying to drive government efficiencies,” Whitaker said in an interview with Bloomberg.
Whitaker’s group, known as AdvaMed, is taking a more confrontational strategy than other health care sectors. Executives from pharmaceutical companies, insurers and hospitals have met with Donald Trump in recent months while paying millions of dollars to attend dinners, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
Whitaker said that the device center was disproportionately impacted by firings of probationary employees in recent days. This has included some of the “best and most innovative” new hires at the agency, including employees regulating artificial intelligence, he added.
The stated goal of the Department of Government Efficiency’s mass terminations across federal agencies is to make the government more efficient and cut wasteful spending.
AdvaMed is backed by medical tech companies including Medtronic Plc, Abbott Laboratories and Johnson & Johnson’s medtech unit.
The industry group has asked the FDA to reverse the cuts, and Whitaker said it’s calling for officials in positions funded by user fees to be reinstated.
The cuts at the FDA included the top product evaluation and quality official at the device center. The FDA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the letter.
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