All across the Department, we are working to ensure that our efforts to make America healthier are not undermined by excessive bureaucracy, red tape, and regulation. Let me give you a few examples. This year, in the Public Health Service, we have consolidated 108 services into 16 Performance Partnerships that will wipe out a ton of bureaucracy and give local communities greater flexibility to solve their own problems. But I think the accomplishments that are most relevant to you are the historic changes that have taken place at the FDA, under David Kessler's leadership. The truth is, drug companies and medical device manufacturers are right to expect faster turn around times.
Researchers are right to expect less paperwork and better service.
And, people afflicted with life-threatening diseases are right to expect expedited approval and increased access to potentially helpful therapies. And, that's what we're trying to do. Thanks, in part, to the new user fee program, we cut the median time for drug approvals last year by more than 20 percent. And, for biological products, we cut the approval time by almost one-half. We are continuing to accelerate approval for drugs that treat serious and life-threatening conditions.