Can the FDA Heal Itself?

摘要

Like any government agency that has been around for almost a century, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has endured its share of rough patches. But "rough patch" hardly begins to describe all the bad news that has battered the agency over the past few months, from the possible suicide risks with antidepressants like Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft to the cardiac risks of pain-killers like Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra. Americans depend on the FDA to carefully weigh the benefits and risks of all drugs before approving them, but the agency has had trouble lately shaking the growing perception, justified or not, that it has been working harder protecting the pharmaceutical indus- try than the public it's supposed to serve. The pressure for action grew so intense by last week that the FDA was forced to take action. On the eve of an extraordinary three-day hearing to air grievances resulting from the Vioxx and Celebrex snafu, it announced plans to create a new safety board to monitor drugs for unexpected side effects that show up after the drugs have gone on sale. Meanwhile, the Bush Administration finally moved to fill a one-year power vacuum at the top of the organization by nominating its acting chief, Dr. Lester Crawford, to be the FDA'S permanent head.