Where is the FDA?
We have been bombarded this holiday season with bad news. Drugs distributed on a mass scale have the ability to actually kill its users. Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra, all members of a class of drugs called Cox-2 inhibitors, are the problem.
The first to fall is Vioxx. Merck Pharmaceuticals withdrew Vioxx from the market after a study indicated a two fold risk of heart attack with people who use the drug. About a month later, a similar study is halted when it is discovered that those on Celebrex have a 2.5 increase risk of heart attacks and strokes. Other studies indicate a similar problem with Bextra...
Last week, the FDA stopped all advertising for Celebrex. More recently, the FDA sent out a advisory warning on the deleterious effects of the drug.
Unfortunately, the advisory warning and end of advertising is too little too late. Between the three drugs, we are talking about over 100,000 US citizens suffered a serious heart attack or stroke as a result of the drug. Where was the FDA? How are Celebrex and Bextra still on the market?
The sad truth is that the powerful pharmaceutical companies have the FDA in their pocket. It is the age old question: Who is watching the watchman?