"For more than a century, the regulation of U.S. food and drugs has seen its share of challenges -- from the filthy slaughterhouses of Upton Sinclair’s Chicago to the tainted Chinese-made blood thinner that recently killed at least 19 people. The regulatory shortcomings on display in 1937, when ethylene glycol killed 105 antibiotic consumers, were still glaring six decades later, when Vioxx users started having heart attacks.
But throughout the history of the Food and Drug Administration, and its precursor agencies, U.S. consumers could always bring the manufacturer of a faulty product to court. Now, with the FDA woefully underfunded in its key role of assuring the safety and effectiveness of foods and drugs, and with political ideologues in the agency pushing industry prerogatives, the White House and the courts may be on the verge of stripping Americans of the right to sue. This would take away the last option for those seeking protection from --or recourse for -- faulty products.
Last month, in a 8-1 decision, the Supreme Court ruled that most people using medical devices do not have the right to sue manufacturers. In October, the court is expected to take up a more far-reaching case, Levine V. Wyeth, that could stop most lawsuits involving drugs. The court will examine the legality of a lawsuit preemption quietly written into an innocuous FDA labeling law in 2006. The author was Daniel Troy, then the FDA counsel, now an industry lobbyist. With major cuts in food and drug safety inspections, the take-home message, increasingly, is caveat emptor. Watch out for yourself, because the government won't.
“Consumers are getting the worst of both worlds,” says David C. Vladeck, a Georgetown Law School professor. “They don’t get the protection the FDA promises because the agency is incapable these days of truly providing a safeguard for the drugs we get...." www.blacklistednews.com
NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT WHY THIS PISSES ME OFF:
I developed Drug Induced Lupus from taking Depakote for several years. I could not walk or talk and my heart stopped numerous times. I almost died from it. It was all because I was misdiagnosed as being Bipolar when I never was. I was also on Wellbutrin which caused me to lose my long and short term memories both. I've slowly regained some of each, but there's no saying I will ever regain what was stolen from me. I know everything happens for a reason, but the drug companies should give a damn about people instead of leaving them in the dark to fend for themselves, wondering where they've gone wrong. They should pay. They should definitely pay. I can't fathom how many people go through what I experienced with medications without knowing what is ailing them so. I was fortunate enough to have a strong intuition regarding the matter and Divine intervention. I truly feel sorry for those who are exposed to such horrible experiences as mine. There is no excuse for the drug companies getting away with murder. Karma will have it's way with them, I am sure. I'm sticking to alternative medicine and eating well now. Screw medications.
