Some workers in the medical-device review department of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) say they feel pressured to approve devices that they are not sure are safe, according to a new survey reported in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. When asked “Have you ever been pressured to approve or recommend approval for a device or product despite reservations about the safety, efficacy or quality of the product?” one-quarter of the respondents answered “yes.” The survey was conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), and the participants were employees of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
