The FDA has decided to back down from a recent plan that would have required long-term studies of new psychiatric drugs before allowing them on the market.
The reversal came after a panel of experts unanimously recommended against requiring such studies. The panel's vote came in the wake of complaints from industry executives, academic researchers, and patient advocates.
Studies of Eight Weeks or Less
The new plan would have called for companies to conduct studies for as long as six months before seeking approval. Currently, psychiatric drugs are generally approved after only two short-term studies, which may last only eight weeks. This is the case for many forms of medication.
Physicians, however, usually prescribe psychiatric drugs for much longer periods. Regulators in the European Union and other countries require longer-term data.
Life-Saving Information Suppressed
Meanwhile, The Independent, a British newspaper, reports that vital information about prescription medications has been suppressed by the FDA. Even if the information can save lives, the FDA, under pressure from the pharmaceutical industry, routinely conceals information that could affect the commercial value of the drugs, rendering physicians unable to assess the real risks.
Where to Go for News?
Mike Adams, NewsTarget's Health Ranger, in his editorial on this information, discusses the many problems with the FDA, and also the disturbing implications of the fact that this report did not appear in a domestic media outlet. It is, he points out, difficult to find an outlet, other than sites such as Mercola.com or NewsTarget itself, that accept no advertising from drug companies. The inevitable result is that news that is not acceptable to the advertisers is soft-pedaled or ignored, lest they pull funding.
