The FDA Foxes Keep Guarding the Drug Safety Henhouse

[Guest guest]

http://www.mercola.com/2005/jun/23/fda_drugs.htm

 

The FDA " Foxes " Keep Guarding the Drug Safety " Henhouse "

 

 

From approving harmful drugs to letting the pharmaceutical industry

get away with murder, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seems to

be continually failing to get it right. And while the agency may be

trying to move in a positive direction, the attempts seem short-lived.

 

According to Dr. David Graham and Senate Finance Committee Chairman

Charles E. Grassley, the FDA's new Drug Safety Oversight Board will

not increase the ability of the agency to remove unsafe prescription

drugs from the market and could actually hinder efforts to make

medications safer.

 

The Dynamic Duo

 

Graham -- who in November 2004 criticized the FDA's ability to protect

the public from harmful drugs -- blasted the structure of the

membership of the board, noting the panel is " severely biased in favor

of industry " and that " the FDA cannot be trusted to protect the public

or reform itself. "

 

And in a letter to acting Commissioner Lester M. Crawford, Grassley

stated that the makeup of the board led him to conclude that, " What we

have here is nothing more than the status quo. "

 

The 15-member board largely consists of FDA managers with some input

of the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Veterans

Affairs. The qualms Graham and Grassley have with the current board

arrangement is that 11 of the 15 voting positions of the board are

filled by senior FDA managers for the agency's Center for Drug

Evaluation and Research -- the very same office responsible for

reviewing and approving new drugs.

 

Additional concerns include:

 

* Most of the safety board's deliberations will be kept private.

* A two-thirds majority vote is required to recommend the FDA take

action on anything.

 

Need for a Change

 

Both Graham's and Grassley's disapprovals show that Congress may not

be satisfied with the FDA's actions and may press for a change on

pending legislation to create a more independent drug office.

 

In fact, Congress is already considering bills that would more

aggressively address drug safety: A bipartisan effort led by Grassley

and Sen. Christopher Dodd introduced a bill that would create a board

with far fewer ties to the FDA; however, opponents argue the bill will

focus far too much on the risks of a drug, and not its benefits.

 

Medical News Today June 13, 2005

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

While we were lead to believe that things were finally changing for

the better, it appears the FDA's propensity to continue protecting the

hand that feeds it and putting its own agenda ahead of your health is

still alive and kicking.

 

I certainly agree with Dr. David Graham's contention that current drug

safety standards in the country are even worse than they were in 2004.

 

What the FDA is apparently getting away with is somewhat surprising.

My guess is that it is a direct reflection of the drug industry

control of Congress. They clearly have the strongest political lobby,

and that can wield quite a bit of power and influence.

 

The drug companies financially support the FDA in the form of user

fees for drug approval and significantly influence American political

leaders that are responsible for FDA policies and funding. From 1998

to 2005, drug and chemical corporations spent $758 million on lobbying

politicians. The goal of corporate lobbying is to influence what food

and drug products can be marketed and how they are labeled.

 

In the 2004 elections alone, nearly $1 million was contributed to

President Bush, $500,000 to his opponent John Kerry, and over $100,000

was contributed to approximately 18 members of Congress. The drug and

chemical industries employ over 1,200 full-time lobbyists, including

40 former members of Congress. The drug and chemical corporate

lobbyists are extremely successful at what they do, which puts the FDA

at the mercy of the very same chemical industry that they aim to regulate.

 

This seems to be the only logical explanation for this type of behavior.

 

Related Articles:

 

Can You Really Trust the FDA to Protect You From Harm?

 

FDA is " Virtually Incapable of Protecting You From Unsafe Drugs "

 

USA Today Exposes Conflicts of Interest in FDA Drug Approvals