An HHScontingency plan provides for the continuation of specific FDAactivities, including those focused on prescription drugs, genericdrugs and medical devices, while other services will bestalled. (Photo: Shutterstock)

While it's not the whole government shut down over the border wallfight, and a number of essential activities will continuenevertheless, there are plenty of ways in which the shutdown willaffect health care.

The FDA is among the agencies affected by the shutdown.According to a report from AJMC, while most of the Departmentof Health and Human Services, including the National Institutes ofHealth and the CDC, is already funded through 2019, as of today, 41percent of the FDA is being furloughed.

An HHS contingency plan provides for the continuationof specific FDA activities, including those focused on prescriptiondrugs, generic drugs, biosimilars, medical devices, and tobaccoproducts—which are funded by user fees. However, some routineregulatory and compliance activities, including some medicalproduct-related and most food-related activities, will beunsupported.

Related: FDA chief Scott Gottlieb isn't pharma's BFF afterall

Responses to existing critical public health challenges, such asdrug shortages and outbreaks related to foodborne illness andinfectious diseases, will be functional, as will responses toemergencies, high-risk recalls, criminal enforcement work and civilinvestigations tied to imminent threats to human health or life andother critical public health issues.

But according to STAT News, the shutdown will also cripplebipartisan efforts to reauthorize the 2006Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act, which allows thegovernment to respond to health-related emergencies as well as towork with private companies on the development of medicaltechnology for emergency responses.

In advance of the shutdown, Scott Gottlieb, M.D., commissionerof the FDA, tweeted: “I recognize the consequences of afederal shutdown to the public we serve, our employees and theirfamilies—especially during this holiday season. I know the burdenswill intensify the longer there is a lapse in funding and I amdoing everything possible to ease the impact.”

“The administration and Congress's inability to approve funds tokeep the federal government open is unacceptable and poses a threatto public health,” said Georges C. Benjamin, M.D., executivedirector of the American Public Health Association, in astatement.

Benjamin added, “This shutdown is a political failure, and AHPAurges the government to put ideology aside and reach a fundingsolution as soon as possible.”