Congress is set to start its once-every-five-years review of the law that authorizes user fees to finance the hiring of personnel to speed the FDA review of drugs. The periodic renewals of “PDUFA” also give lawmakers a chance to make other changes to the agency at the hub of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the FDA could also find itself at the center of the abortion debate and a controversial new medication to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.

Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.

Julie Rovner: KHN’s “Ready for Another Pandemic Malady? It’s Called ‘Decision Fatigue,’” by Jenny Gold.

Joanne Kenen: The New Yorker’s “What Happened After the Chicken-Pox Vaccine,” by Jessica Winter.

Sarah Karlin-Smith: Stat’s “Despite Biden’s Big Promises and a Far Better Understanding of the Virus, Covid-19 Is Still Raging Through the Nation’s Prisons,” by Nicholas Florko.

Anna Edney: Reuters’ “Special Report: Inside J&J’s Secret Plan to Cap Litigation Payouts to Cancer Victims,” by Mike Spector and Dan Levine.

Click here for a transcript of the episode.

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