The Apothecary
Insights into health care and entitlement reform.
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
John Graham, Contributor
In July, the Food and Drug Administration issued guidance on three topics important to the future of medical innovation. These welcome guidelines demonstrate the FDA is doing the best it can to ensure it does not interfere inappropriately with advances in medical technology that rely on processing information.
However, the guidelines also show the FDA will be limited in its ability to respond effectively to future innovations. Current law does not really define the FDA's powers to regulate devices that depend on advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning, as applied to health care. Guidelines give medical entrepreneurs some comfort the FDA will not impose an undue regulatory burden on them, but they are no substitute for legislation precisely defining the FDA's powers in the digital age.
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