ABSTRACT
According to Vogel (1998: 18), the last decade has seen a change in ‘the preferences of government officials’ towards medicines regulation, partly driven by ‘political pressures for more rapid drug approval’. Our research provides insights into the nature of that ‘political pressure’: how it was constructed and its implications for regulatory science and social interests. In this chapter, we return to some of the themes outlined in Chapter 1, in the light of our empirical findings, in order to draw out their relevance to the pharmaceutical sector. In addition, we consider some of the political implications of our analysis.
