FDA sides with Merck in Vioxx recall mess

We continue to be shocked by how the Food & Drug Administration (supposedly a government agency whose sole aim should be to work for the well-being of Americans) can be literally hijacked by the very industry that it has been set up to regulate. Rita Rubin of USA TODAY is reporting that just days before The Lancet, a highly-respected medical journal, was to publish a FDA-sponsored study that raised concerns about the safety of Vioxx, an FDA official took the unusual step of calling the editor to raise questions about the finding's scientific integrity. (Related article: Vioxx recall and Washington politics)

Now do not forget that FDA, particularly since 2000, has been consistently doing its very best to help the pharmaceutical industry even if it means working against the well-being of American people. The biggest example is not lifting the ban on importing prescription drugs from Canada. Even a 6-year old would not buy the argument being offered by the current administration and the FDA that these drugs are not safe. If their argument was valid, in that case, we import literally everything else that we consume (including food) and how come no one is talking about that being unsafe.

Several Vioxx victims that have written to us are asking if they can now trust anything that the FDA does. By consistenly siding with Merck (a company that apparently continued to aggressively market Vioxx despite its lethal side effects), FDA is essentially demonstrating that its first priority is to protect the drug companies that pump millions of dollars into the political campaigns of Washington politicians rather than work for improving the life of sick and elderly Americans. Our advice is to that you should be very careful of what the FDA says/does because it is clear that its priorities are clearly dictated by the drug firms.

Recommended link: Complete coverage of Vioxx recall