Excerpt from The 5-Year Outlook on Science and Technology: 1981 There is widespread concern that Federal regulations de signed to protect medical patients and subjects of research may pose a significant constraint on the implementation of advances in biomedical science and technologies. For this reason, regulatory procedures to protect human subjects of biomedical research are normally administered by local committees of physicians, other health care personnel, and lay persons. The regulations are being substantially revised so that they can provide adequate safeguards for research subjects without unduly inhibiting the research process. Federal regulations associated with testing and assessing new drugs and new medical technologies are subject to intense controversy. Steps are being taken to assure that anticipated compliance costs and regulatory uncertainties do not seriously inhibit the development of many promising new drugs and technologies (p. About the Publisher...