The FDA and the IRS

Peter Wetherall

Contributor

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Clark County residents, as well as every other American consumer of prescription drug products, should consider whether the FDA is too cozy with the industry it regulates particularly in light of the recent problems with CHANTIX, an anti-smoking pill. 

The FDA depends the integrity of the data a drug company submits to determine whether the drug is safe.   If the data the drug company submits is false, as is the case with KETEK, the American consumer is at great risk.  (A nice analogy is this:  the FDA is like the IRS.  It is a self-reporting industry.  If the drug company does not "report" the correct information to the FDA, then it is unlikely the FDA will discover the fraudulent reporting.)  

Thanks to the diligent efforts of Rep. John Dingell (D. Mich) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R. Iowa) and other like minded members of Congress, perhaps one day, this will change.