From approving harmful drugs to letting the pharmaceutical industry get away with murder, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seems to be continually failing to get it right. And while the agency may be trying to move in a positive direction, the attempts seem short-lived.

According to Dr. David Graham and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley, the FDA's new Drug Safety Oversight Board will not increase the ability of the agency to remove unsafe prescription drugs from the market and could actually hinder efforts to make medications safer.

The Dynamic Duo

Graham -- who in November 2004 criticized the FDA's ability to protect the public from harmful drugs -- blasted the structure of the membership of the board, noting the panel is "severely biased in favor of industry" and that "the FDA cannot be trusted to protect the public or reform itself."

And in a letter to acting Commissioner Lester M. Crawford, Grassley stated that the makeup of the board led him to conclude that, "What we have here is nothing more than the status quo."

The 15-member board largely consists of FDA managers with some input of the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The qualms Graham and Grassley have with the current board arrangement is that 11 of the 15 voting positions of the board are filled by senior FDA managers for the agency's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research -- the very same office responsible for reviewing and approving new drugs.

Additional concerns include:

• Most of the safety board's deliberations will be kept private.
• A two-thirds majority vote is required to recommend the FDA take action on anything.

Need for a Change

Both Graham's and Grassley's disapprovals show that Congress may not be satisfied with the FDA's actions and may press for a change on pending legislation to create a more independent drug office.

In fact, Congress is already considering bills that would more aggressively address drug safety: A bipartisan effort led by Grassley and Sen. Christopher Dodd introduced a bill that would create a board with far fewer ties to the FDA; however, opponents argue the bill will focus far too much on the risks of a drug, and not its benefits.

Medical News Today June 13, 2005

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

While we were lead to believe that things were finally changing for the better, it appears the FDA's propensity to continue protecting the hand that feeds it and putting its own agenda ahead of your health is still alive and kicking. I certainly agree with Dr. David Graham's contention that current drug safety standards in the country are even worse than they were in 2004. What the FDA is apparently getting away with is somewhat surprising. My guess is that it is a direct reflection of the drug industry control of Congress. They clearly have the strongest political lobby, and that can wield quite a bit of power and influence. The drug companies financially support the FDA in the form of user fees for drug approval and significantly influence American political leaders that are responsible for FDA policies and funding. From 1998 to 2005, drug and chemical corporations spent $758 million on lobbying politicians. The goal of corporate lobbying is to influence what food and drug products can be marketed and how they are labeled. In the 2004 elections alone, nearly $1 million was contributed to President Bush, $500,000 to his opponent John Kerry, and over $100,000 was contributed to approximately 18 members of Congress. The drug and chemical industries employ over 1,200 full-time lobbyists, including 40 former members of Congress. The drug and chemical corporate lobbyists are extremely successful at what they do, which puts the FDA at the mercy of the very same chemical industry that they aim to regulate. This seems to be the only logical explanation for this type of behavior. Related Articles: Can You Really Trust the FDA to Protect You From Harm? FDA is "Virtually Incapable of Protecting You From Unsafe Drugs" USA Today Exposes Conflicts of Interest in FDA Drug Approvals