Defending the FDA

These Anarchists are getting out of hand!



What if the the FDA had banned this drug in response to pressure from the fundies? Do you still like their coercive role now?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Then the FDA would not be up to its task - and the good citizens of the USA should be agitating against the cowardly behavior. The right play would not be to dismantle agencies such as the FDA and allow a free-for-all in what gets sold by the pharmaceutical corporations as drugs. The right play would be to set the FDA straight.

And shield it from attacks by the Christian Right.


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Who defines "more harm than good"?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The experts appointed by our elected representatives. In this case, the FDA.

Do you suggest that we allow any substance which for-profit corporations (god bless 'em!) put up on the shelves -- and then we allow the free market to sort out the dangerous stuff from the good stuff? Thanks, but no thanks.

I accept, of course, that people can be corrupt and dishonest whether they're working for the FDA or GlaxoSmithKline. But the stated objectives of the two employers are different and the difference is significant.


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The risks of [a] drug are not decided by ... the FDA. The risks are simply a function of the numbers. You should know that.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Did I claim the FDA makes judgement calls? That it bases its calls on tarot cards? Or intuition?

Or on anything except "the numbers"?


Quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The FDA wholly relies on the drug producer's OWN TRIAL DATA when approving drugs. Did you know that?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even if it did, so what? The FDA has a valuable and worthy job - and American citizens should see that the agency is both allowed and directed to do the job well.

But the FDA's work actually involves much more than "relying on the drug producers' data", as you over-simplifingly put it. You make it sound as if the FDA is merely looking at a bunch of papers and then stamping them with a grand seal of approval. Here is the FDA's Drug Review Process. Did you know about that?