FDA: Guardian Or Rubber Stamp?
Via CBS News (July 12, 2001):
Dr. Robert Misbin is a sort of scientific detective at the FDA, hunting for early warning signs in the newest drugs seeking FDA approval.
As reported in a CBS News investigation last year, Misbin wanted the diabetes drug Rezulin taken off the market for safety reasons. But he locked horns with his FDA superiors and even publicly accused his own agency of putting the drug maker’s interests ahead of the public.
These types of news “stories” serve a valuable purpose on many fronts. The casual observer probably comes away from a story like this with heightened confidence in the FDA and corporate news outlets, since it appears as if corporate media is really investigating the government, and it appears as if the government is really working to protect the public from reckless pharmaceutical corporations.
On the other hand, I trust none of the above.