As Deal To Reopen Government Reached, FDA Could Pick Up Review Pace, But Will Face Backlog

On Friday, President Trump and Congress reached an agreement  to reopen the federal government for three weeks until Feb. 15, for 2019 budget negotiations. While FDA’s device center has been understaffed due to furloughs during the shutdown, a reduced team that has been processing submissions should be able to pick up the pace once sidelined reviewers return next week. But there will also be a big backlog.