May 12, 2016 | By Joseph Keenan
Some public health experts are crying foul over moves in Congress to link billions of dollars in medical research funding to proposed FDA standards that would make it easier for medical device and drug companies to gain regulatory approvals at the expense of patient safety. 
The link between funding health research and easing FDA standards was first made almost a year ago when the U.S. House of Representatives passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which provided $8.75 billion for the National Institutes for Health and an additional $550 million for the FDA, The Wall Street Journal reported.
In exchange for the funding, the House bill would eliminate rules requiring doctors to disclose hefty payments they receive from medical device makers for using their products; the need for some advanced trials of antibiotics; and that some medical devices could be marketed on the basis of only anecdotal evidence or medical journal articles instead of controlled medical studies.