On May 4, 2026, Aimed Alliance set a letter to the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies to express concerns about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s FY 2027 budget request for statutory changes that would remove the current requirement to include consumer representatives on advisory committees and scientific advisory panels.
The letter warns that making consumer participation optional would weaken the patient and caregiver perspective that helps ensure that advisory committee deliberations fully consider the benefits and risks for patients and reflect the lived experience of patients and caregivers. Citing FDA’s own commitment to putting patients at the center of its work and CMS’s 2025 requirement for consumer representation on Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committees, Aimed Alliance urged the Subcommittee to deny FDA’s request and instead pursue reforms that improve efficiency and transparency without eliminating the essential consumer voice. Read the FY 2027 budget letter here.
Last Updated on May 4, 2026 by Aimed Alliance
