Our Daily Meds : There is a lot of pressure for the FDA to do what the drug industry wants it to do

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Monday, January 12, 2009 12:11 pm Email this article
"With doctors and Congress compromised, what about that other gatekeeper, the FDA [ the US Food and Drug Administration ]," Bill Moyers asked Melody Petersen, author of a new book called Our Daily Meds: How The Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves Into Slick Marketing Machines And Hooked The Nation On Prescription Drugs.

"Actually, the drug industry pays the FDA, too," Petersen answered.

"There was a change in the law in 1992. Before 1992, the FDA had one customer, and that was us, the public."

"But in [ 1992 ], the drug companies started to pay fees to get their drugs reviewed and approved."

"So the FDA has another customer now, and that is the drug companies."

"Talking to scientists inside the FDA, you learn that there is an awful lot of pressure to do what the [ drug ] industry wants [ the FDA ] to do." Former New York Times Journalist

Melody former covered the drug industry for the New York Times

Melody, who formerly covered the drug industry for the New York Times, revealed this last Friday night, May 16th, 2008, in an interview with Bill Moyers on his PBS television program Journal.

REFERENCE

Petersen M. Our Daily Meds : How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves Into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008.

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