IS ‘FAST-TRACKING’ SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF?

March 18, 2009

IS ‘FAST-TRACKING’ SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF?

The Food and Drug Administration talks about their ‘fast tracking’ for approving drugs like it is something to be proud of. But what it really seems to mean is that corners are cut, things are rushed, drugs get to market faster and YOU and I become the guinea pigs for their on-the-market drug testing!!! When Phen-Fed was taken off the market, they were in a huge rush to get another ‘fat pill’ out there.

Had to get something out there. Enter Meridia. Where is it now???? Right there on the list of drugs that FDA whistleblower Dr. David Graham says are putting the public heath at risk.

The scary thing is that the drug companies do the testing. They submit what they want to submit to the FDA and the FDA does little to nothing to double check it. Oh yeah, they have drug evaluation committees, but 1) they don’t listen to them if the recommendation isn’t what they already plan to do (ala the Xyrem issue) and 2) there was a big expose a few years back because a huge percentage of the evaluators the FDA uses work for the very companies making the drugs that they are being asked to review!!!

The FDA dismissed the expose with oh well, there aren’t a lot of drug consultants out there, so we have to do it. The FDA signed off on many of them, knowingly kissing off their conflict of interest.

I have to agree with Dr. Mercola, Graham is my new hero. http://www.mercola.com/2004/dec/18/vioxx.htm Of course, Graham has been exiled from reviewing drugs and you can’t reach him through the HHS employee list because his email has been removed from there. Typical.