March 4, 2013 | Federal cost cutting measures should look no farther than the FDA, argues an op ed in Bloomberg. First on the chopping block: Phase 3 clinical trials. Though the system has served us well in the past, the authors argue that the system not only costs too much money--but it may be causing more harm than good. Bloomberg In the Pipeline blog author, Derek Lowe, comments on the promises and problems of the approach. In the Pipeline.