Usa Forum - Dr. Zuckerman: FDA needs help to heal itself as it turns 100

Ilena Rose

7/10/2006 3:22:00 PM

Guest Opinion: FDA needs help to heal itself as it turns 100

http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/07/05/opinion/guest/50-guesto...
By DIANA ZUCKERMAN

Like most Americans, I love to celebrate our country's birthday every
July 4. My ancestors came to the United States nearly penniless about
100 years ago, and I can truly be amazed at the opportunities and
blessings our family has enjoyed.

But there is another important birthday milestone that came just
before July 4, and that one is harder to celebrate. The Food and Drug
Administration just turned 100 and is the "oldest U.S. consumer
protection office" providing "Americans with increasingly
comprehensive, science-based protections that ensure the highest
quality of products essential for health and survival." At least
that's what the FDA's Web site says. I'm not so sure about that.

After more than its share of well-publicized botched decisions and
apparent cover-ups on several widely used drugs and other medical
products, from painkillers to anti-depressants to heart valves, the
FDA is in trouble. The FDA is responsible for the safety of food and
medical products representing 25 cents of every dollar we spend.
Meanwhile, it's funding is completely inadequate for that safety
mission, and it is struggling to do its job while overcoming a lot of
bad publicity. They are promising to do better. But the evidence isn't
reassuring.

Limiting patient rights
Last week the FDA issued a final rule designed to take away a
patient's ability to sue a company for failing to warn patients
adequately of potentially lethal side effects of its medication if
that medication has been approved by the FDA.

Last week a congressional report made it clear that the FDA has
repeatedly failed to enforce the nation's food and drug laws,
neglecting to seize drugs and medical devices it knew were dangerous
or defective.

These two developments contradict each other. How can the FDA on the
one hand say that FDA-approved products are rigorously regulated and
therefore companies that make them can't be sued, when the evidence
shows that companies frequently don't comply with FDA safety
requirements and the FDA does nothing about it?

These two developments tarnish FDA's 100th birthday. The question is:
What should we -- as individuals or a country -- do about it?

So far, we've done almost nothing. The funding situation at the FDA
has become so worrisome that FDA officials admit that they can't
always do their jobs. Essential services such as surveillance of
approved prescription drugs or medical devices just can't get much FDA
scrutiny because the law requires them to concentrate on other
activities. That's why we should no longer be surprised when a contact
lens solution causes eye infections or an extremely popular
anti-depressant is found to cause an increase in suicide attempts.

Congress is criticizing the FDA for its poor safety record, but
Congress hasn't increased funding to prevent more of the same. The
public is oblivious. More funding is absolutely necessary, but with
FDA undermining consumers' rights and protections, it's hard to drum
up enthusiasm.

Dangerously underfunded
Should we make sure that FDA gets the money it needs to do its job,
even if it means taking funding from other essential programs, many of
which are slated for dire cuts? Of course, there are plenty of
programs that I wouldn't mind taking funding from, if it were up to
me, but those kinds of cuts -- eliminating bridges to nowhere and
other pet projects, don't seem to be in the realm of possibility with
the current Congress.

If we don't do something to support better safeguards for medical
products, the protections we have relied on will grow weaker day by
day. We can't let pharmaceutical company lobbyists and their pals in
government undermine the FDA, and we can't punish the FDA for its
mistakes by ignoring its financial plight.

We celebrate July 4 because our country has done so much we can be
proud of. In its illustrious past, from keeping thalidomide away from
pregnant women to requiring some of the first clinical trials in the
world for medical devices, the FDA has been part of that pride, a
leader that set a golden standard that most other countries have not
met. The FDA is not perfect, but we can't just complain and hope
things will get better. As part of its 100th birthday, we need to
fight to make sure it does get better -- for all our sakes.

Diana Zuckerman is president of the National Research Center for Women
& Families, a Washington research and advocacy center, 1701 K Street
NW, Suite 701, Washington, D.C. 20006; Web site:
www.center4research.org.

1 Answer

Thomas A. Rowe

6/17/2007 1:11:00 PM

This really is not a FP related issue, you need to post to the Windows Media and/or Apple QuickTime
(if they have one) newsgroup, You may also want to try the Windows or IE newsgroup.

--
==============================================
Thomas A. Rowe
Microsoft MVP - FrontPage

http://www.Eco...
==============================================

"Jeff Garry" <jeffgarry@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:A57BE90C-381F-4B75-8A41-271CB8D73B46@microsoft.com...
>I give up Thomas! Can you please tell me if it is possible to play my vid's
> on my website or not, if so how? thanks. Jeff.
> --
> Jeff
>
>
> "Thomas A. Rowe" wrote:
>
>> See:
>> http://support.microsoft.com...
>>
>> Also see:
>> http://support.microsoft.com...
>> http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie6/using/techinfo/activexu...
>>
>> --
>> ==============================================
>> Thomas A. Rowe
>> Microsoft MVP - FrontPage
>>
>> http://www.Eco...
>> ==============================================
>>
>>
>> "Jeff Garry" <jeffgarry@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
>> news:AD8FB042-00B1-4B1C-996C-0BB44C801417@microsoft.com...
>> > Why can I not now play .mov videos on my website as I once could. I also was
>> > able to play .mov videos (QuickTime) in Windows Media Player, now I cannot!
>> > Can any of you experts out there resolve my problem? Than you.
>> > --
>> > Jeff
>>
>>
>>

talk.politics.medicine

Dr. Zuckerman: FDA needs help to heal itself as it turns 100

Ilena Rose

Thomas A. Rowe

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