As a physician, I think I must chime in that the FDA has been also criticized for rushing drugs to the market.
We have to assume also alot of why so many research scientists are losing their jobs is that probably alot of drug development is being outsourced overseas. It's probably cheaper to do the research abroad in China or India.
Remember thalidomide? That was many years ago but the flip side of rushing drugs to market is devastating outcomes like that.
I ultimately left the university doing medical research since it was so difficult to get grants. The grant money has virtually dried up. Fewer than 10% of RO1 grants are funded. Luckily, as a physician, you can also take care of sick people, but it became just too difficult and frustrating to try and get grants.
