Bonuses ballooned at FDA despite problems: report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Top officials at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have seen their bonuses quadruple in recent years at a time when the agency has said it lacks money for adequate inspections, The Washington Post reported in its Thursday edition.

FDA officials said the bonuses are necessary to prevent talented employees from leaving for more lucrative private-sector jobs, the Post reported. They called the program a success.

But lawmakers critical of the arrangement pointed out that many of the bonuses went to top managers rather than scientists and doctors most likely to leave for the private sector.

Bonuses for top managers at the agency quadrupled to $13.6 million from 2002 to 2005, the Post reported, citing FDA officials and salary information provided to Congress.

During that period the FDA struggled with a shortage of flue vaccine and embarrassing recalls of drugs and medical devices, and embattled commissioner Lester Crawford fought to hold on to his job.

Scores of FDA officials earn more than members of Congress, federal judges and Cabinet secretaries, the Post reported.

The FDA investigator who won the agency's top national award last year received a bonus of $2,500, while Margaret O'K. Galvin, the chief of regulatory affairs, received a bonus of $48,823 in 2005 on top of her regular salary of $159,840, the Post reported.