FDA complicates 'chaotic' federal COVID-19 response with pledge to resume domestic inspections

The FDA's usual facility inspections have been on hold for months because of COVID-19—and pharma isn't happy. Now, after hearing calls from all levels of the drug industry, the agency says it will kick off inspections again. But it's far from a full-scale restart.

The FDA will resume "prioritized" domestic manufacturing inspections the week of July 20 after a four-month moratorium on most on-site walkthroughs, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said in a release Friday.