Drug companies opened THEMSELVES up to these lawsuits by directly marketing (using slick ad campaigns) to consumers (most who don't have a clue about their medical health) which in turn made these patients DEMAND these powerful drugs from their docs.
It's like marketing camshafts to commuters.
</Donning Asbestos Suit>
From the article:
"Graham has estimated that Vioxx killed some 60,000 patients--as many people, he points out, as died in the Vietnam War. He says that fundamental problems at the FDA led to those deaths. "People should turn to Congress and demand a drug safety system that is free from corporate influence--and a distinct center for drug safety."
In Graham's eyes, the problem at the FDA is that the same scientists who approve drugs are the ones charged with deciding whether or not they are safe enough to remain on the market when problems crop up. "There is no feedback or review process to say, 'You guys have made a big mistake,' " he says. When problems are recognized by drug safety officers, it can be hard for the message to take hold.
Graham says that he thinks there should be formal, periodic reviews of the safety of new medicines--and that the FDA should release documents that explain its reasoning.
"The FDA does not think anything it did is a mistake," he says. "None of its decisions are evidence-based.""
No evidence??? All the evidence the FDA needs is in the form of kickbacks, sweetheart deals, and lots and lots of money from the pharma companies...
I like the idea of a nice big monkey wrench being thrown in the middle of the drug approval process. Might save a couple lives...
Jenny