The Food and Drug Administration is under investigation by Congress for the way it handled the painkiller Vioxx. The agency is being challenged for approving drugs without adequate testing, and it’s being questioned about its follow-up — monitoring drugs once they are on the market. Critics say the FDA regulators need more distance from the drug companies. But those who speak for the drug makers continue to warn that excessive oversight slows the process of getting new drugs to needy patients.
Guests:
Sam Kazman, Chief Counsel of the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC
Marcia Angell, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and former editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine
Marc Kaufman, Washington Post reporter