US FDA Inspections & FDARA: Will New Law Light The Way For Investigators? Maybe, Experts Say

The FDA Reauthorization Act, enacted last month, includes provisions that aim to improve FDA's inspection process, including putting a stop to arbitrary audit scheduling by the agency – a practice that can cause a facility inspection to drag on for weeks at a time. FDA has until early 2019 to draft a guidance document that lays out how it will ensure a more uniform inspection process that ensures greater parity between foreign and domestic audits. Steps mandated by the new law include notifying firms in advance of records that will be requested during an inspection and specifying a window of time for investigators to conduct the onsite inspections. But industry experts are of two minds as to whether any substantial changes will result from the new law. Also: FDA device center Director Jeff Shuren weighs in.