FDA has new leverage over companies looking for a quicker drug approval

The huge spending bill that became law last December also included fixes to a problem that has dogged the Food and Drug Administration for years.

Drugmakers could get fast approval for certain drugs — with preliminary data — on the promise that they would do more research after the fact to make sure the drugs worked. But companies were often slow to follow through on these so-called accelerated approvals, leaving patients uncertain about their medicines.