Posted At WebMD
BY : Daniel DeNoon
In its January 2006 issue, the independent consumer magazine points to a dozen common prescription drugs linked to serious risks -- including death. These risks, the article says, were "undetected or underestimated when the FDA approved them for use."
The issue isn't these 12 drugs. For people who need them, their benefits outweigh their risks. What's flawed is the U.S. drug safety system, says Marvin M. Lipman, MD, chief medical advisor for Consumers Union and emeritus professor of medicine at New York Medical College, Valhalla.
"This is a report that criticizes not only the preapproval process, but also the postapproval surveillance system," Lipman tells WebMD.
System Geared for Approval
Once upon a time, the FDA was very slow to approve new drugs. That changed in the early '90s, when Congress passed the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA). The law gave the FDA deadlines for making approval decisions. In return, it charged drug companies fees used to hire new drug reviewers.
The Consumer Reports article quotes a former FDA reviewer as saying that the tight deadlines were frustrating. Indeed, a 2003 HHS survey found that 20% of FDA reviewers said they felt pressured to recommend approval despite reservations.
"The relationship of the FDA to the pharmaceutical industry has to be examined very closely," Lipman says. "Under the PDUFA law, a lot of money is paid by the drug companies to have their drugs reviewed. There is something inherently bad about that. It doesn't smell right."
