The U.S. FDA is requesting $7.2 billion as part of the president’s fiscal-year 2024 budget, which includes $11.6 million being directed toward improving the medical device supply chain and shortage programs.

The medical device supply funding is aimed at allowing the FDA to continue to build its capabilities to ensure patients always have access to medical devices. The budget is intended to allow the FDA to expand efforts to work proactively with medical device companies, healthcare providers, device distributors, and patients to enhance resiliency in the supply chain of critical medical devices and prevent shortages of critical devices that most often impact vulnerable populations. 

The entire 2024 budget funding, overall, is designed to allow the agency to continue to leverage new and emerging technologies, recruit and support a highly skilled workforce and adapt oversight to new production and business models, the FDA says.

This is work that will have an immediate impact on food, tobacco and medical product safety in this country while also preparing the agency to address rapid innovation across the food and medical products fields. The request includes an increase of $372 million in budget authority—or 10% above the FY 2023 Enacted Level—and a $150 million increase in user fees. 

“This year’s funding request builds on our accomplishments and lessons learned over the past year and adds new funding to continue modernizing the FDA and its capabilities for the future. We continue to deliver on a wide range of priorities and have strategically focused our request to ensure our program areas have the funding they need to operate with the highest success for the good of public health,” says FDA Commissioner Robert M. Califf, MD.

Califf adds, “Our investments to strengthen medical product safety and availability, along with funding for vital oversight of tobacco products continue to be a central focus. The budget also provides a historic investment to strengthen the FDA’s food safety and nutrition capacity—especially for infants and young children, demonstrating the Administration’s ongoing commitment to these responsibilities. As always, our foremost focus is on the well-being of patients and consumers, and we look forward to continuing our work with Congress to help meet the critical public health challenges ahead.”

The FY 2024 request, which covers the period from Oct. 1, 2023, through Sept. 30, 2024, includes new efforts for high priority program areas. Other highlights of the budget request includes:

  • A $2.5 million budget allocation to implement ACT for ALS to foster development of treatments for ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases.
  • $50 million will be directed the president’s Cancer Moonshot goals. This funding will advance the President’s Cancer Moonshot, including by expanding resources and collaborations for innovative and new diagnostic and therapeutic products to treat rare cancers, and other efforts to address cancer morbidity and mortality.