Pharmaceutical companies also have a responsibility to ensure patient safety. This includes conducting rigorous clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of their products. It also includes monitoring the safety of their products after they are on the market and reporting adverse events to the FDA.
When FDA furloughs occur, pharmaceutical companies may experience delays in the approval process for their products. This can be costly for the companies and can also delay patient access to new treatments. In addition, companies may need to devote additional resources to monitoring the safety of their products when the FDA is unable to do so.