FDA to pilot bonuses for drug reviewers who finish work early
Feb 28th 2026
The FDA will test quarterly bonus payments for drug reviewers who finish reviews early, tying pay to time saved and quality ratings and raising questions about ethics, distribution and public trust.
- Commissioner Marty Makary announced a pilot program to pay quarterly bonuses to drug reviewers who complete work ahead of schedule, with payments expected to start around August.
- Payments will be calculated using "weighted time savings" and ratings for work quality and complexity, according to internal slides and a staff presentation.
- Only employees directly involved in drug reviews are eligible; staff such as factory inspectors will not receive payments.
- The FDA has long met industry-set review timelines funded largely by user fees but has never paid reviewers directly for meeting or exceeding those goals.
- Officials say the program aims to reward efficiency that benefits patients, while critics warn it could create ethical risks if speed compromises safety or public trust.
- Agency records show the FDA's drug and biologics centers have lost about 20 percent of employees since the start of the Trump administration, a factor officials cite when pushing for faster reviews.