A detailed look at the process of halting unsafe drugs

that anyone on medication should read...and contact our politicians to give the FDA the power to protect us.

Lucrative Drug, Danger Signals and the F.D.A. | theledger.com

It's a shame, too, that studies have become so tied with funding from the drug companies rather than the independent evaluations they should be. Also, the delays necessary in trying to keep a dangerous drug from the patients it may harm is unsettling. I think if you have a regulatory body, it should have some teeth. Let's not forget, it was the FDA (and perhaps more importantly, one woman at the agency) who refused to approve thalidomide--a drug that was later found to cause severe birth defects--here in the US. I'm not sure that would be possible today, given the ability of companies to shield the FDA from studies that do not present the best outcomes, the amount of wrangling necessary when drugs do prove to have undesirable effects, etc. Anyway, read the story and see what you think.