Mercola: VIDEO UPDATE -- New FDA Craziness - An Institute of Medicine report con

[Guest guest]

" Dr. Mercola " <jm

eHealthy News You Can Use October 12, 2006 - Issue 858

12 Oct 2006 02:27:21 -0500

 

 

 

 

 

VIDEO UPDATE -- New FDA Craziness - An Institute of Medicine report

confirms what many already knew: the federal system for approving and

regulating drugs is corrupt, dangerous, and broken.

 

 

 

http://www.mercola.com/2006/oct/12/new-fda-craziness.htm

 

 

New FDA Craziness

 

 

 

An analysis by the Institute of Medicine found that the federal system

for approving and regulating drugs has serious problems, and dramatic

changes are required to fix them.

 

The report fixed the blame on the FDA, Congress, and the

pharmaceutical industry, and called on all of them to share

responsibility in implementing solutions.

 

Several of the suggested changes are ones that have been requested for

many years by drug safety advocates.

 

Many of the recommendations would require Congressional approval to

enact, including such changes as:

 

* FDA commissioners would serve a single six-year term

* Newly approved drugs would include black triangles on their

labels, warning consumers their safety was still in question

* New drugs would only be approved for five years, at which point

the FDA would review their safety

* A ban on advertising would be in effect while drugs remain on

this probationary period

 

The panel also recommended that a substantial majority of FDA advisory

panel members not have industry ties, and suggested that manufacturers

should be required to produce the outcomes of all studies, not just

those published in medical journals. Studies that show positive

results for a drug are more likely to be published.

 

ABC News September 22, 2006

 

Washington Post September 23, 2006

 

Institute of Medicine September 22, 2006

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

In an uncanny bit of timing, this scathing Institute of Medicine

report came out the same day I posted news about America's dismal

health care scorecard.

 

With the current Congressional session nearly over, there's no hope

that any of these reforms will be considered before next year, when

federal legislators will reconsider the existing agreement with the

multi-national drug companies, under which they pay millions to speed

up reviews of new drugs.

 

Under current law, those fees cannot be diverted to shore up the

agency's woefully underfunded safety division.

 

Of course, the drug cartel's minister of propaganda, Pharmaceutical

Research and Manufacturers of America, would have you believe any

notion the FDA is seriously compromised is a big mistake.

 

They oppose the mandatory registration of clinical trials, arguing

that this would force companies to reveal trade secrets, and they also

oppose any restrictions on advertising. It's fairly easy to see where

they stand on the issue of making money versus ensuring patient safety.

 

However, the real mistake would be trusting the FDA's opinions about

drug safety, especially considering it can't even assess its own

success or failure, according to Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa).

 

We'll have to wait and see if these recommendations cause any actual

changes. The drug companies 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.

 

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.

 

So, the odds are stacked against any real changes.

 

Don't count on the FDA. People need to take responsibility for their

own health and:

 

* Radically cut back on the nearly 200 pounds of sugar they eat

each year

* Stop spending 90 percent of their food money on processed foods

* Exercise four to five times a week

* Stop relying on drugs as Band-Aids to treat their symptoms, and

demand solutions instead

 

Related Articles:

 

Secrets of the FDA Revealed by Top Insider Doctor

 

How Drug Companies Deceive Medical Journals

 

Bush Appoints Third FDA Chief to Permanent Post