It’s easy to get the impression the FDA does very little to protect the American consumer. When you look back at this last year, there have been an alarming number of problems with produce causing food poisoning, there have been new warnings about household-name drugs, and several refusals by the management team to follow the scientific evidence to ban or limit the use of various medical devices and products on the market. But, in one area at least, the FDA does take its role seriously. Put another way, there is sufficient funding given to this division to allow it to carry out its duties effectively. So, when you browse around the news media in both printed form and on the internet, the FDA monitors how drugs and devices are marketed. If there is evidence the ads are not properly balanced or actually misleading, the manufacturer and distributor can be ordered to change the wording. In this, one of the key considerations is whether the public are given adequate warning of the possible side effects from taking medications. That’s why, when you sit through a fifty-second commercial on television, you get the voice-over spending most of the time listing the possible problems. more…
