In research results, the Union of Concerned Scientists confirmed a long-standing problem at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Agency workers who analyze drugs for safety and effectiveness are being thwarted in their jobs, and as a result, drugs with questionable safety records are approved for use by millions of Americans.
While the tendency may be to blame the current administration, this problem has been going on well before President Bush took office. The culprit is two-fold. First, FDA user fee legislation reates an inherent conflict of interest. Under this legislation, companies - primarily drug companies - this year will pay $380 million to the FDA. An agency cannot effectively regulate industries that pay the salary of so many of its employees. Second, there is a dangerous lack of congressional oversight of the FDA.
