The FDA’s eight-year plan for testing Avandia

By Cary Byrd · Leave a Comment

Here’s the story.

Drug companies are going to try to get away with everything they can to make a profit, that’s a given. The FDA should be the regulatory force that keeps Big Pharma in check instead of being its accomplice.

As long as the FDA is getting its paycheck from Big Pharma, drugs are going to keep getting approved, and American citizens will continue to be stuck in the middle … getting screwed.

Henry Waxman summed it up well when he said,

Despite additional warnings from outside experts, despite the millions of patients who rely on Avandia to control their blood sugar, and despite the potential risks involved, FDA never required the manufacturer to conduct a thorough postmarket study of its heart risks.

It’s astounding to think that the agency put into place specifically to protect the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of drugs would not require the manufacturer to conduct a thorough post-market study of its heart risks.

And even worse, to be eight years down the road and still in the same position.

Ridiculous.