The Edge

Allyson Klaus

Features Editor

Once again, the government is seeking to employ another method of limiting citizens’ power.

The Supreme Court is currently considering a proposal that was made by drug makers and the Bush administration. A decision in favor of the proposal would prohibit consumers from suing drug manufacturers as long as the product and warning label had already been approved by the FDA.

There are several problems with this idea, but the one that should matter most to Americans is the government’s willingness to obliterate this vital line of accountability.

First of all, I’m confused as to why the government feels a need to step up accountability in some areas of our society and completely diminish it in others.

For example, the Bush administration was also responsible for the passing of the No Child Left Behind Act, which was intended to improve the education system by holding schools accountable for meeting certain standards, including adequate yearly progress.

Sure, there was and still is a need for improvement in American education, but isn’t there also a need for improvement in the monitoring of food and drugs? I’m sure everyone has heard of the many instances in which a product has been recalled and/or taken off the market altogether. There have been several huge cases in just the last few years.

According to USA Today, the FDA is underfunded and understaffed. With all of that being said, how can the average citizen trust the FDA with something as important as their lives?

And even if the average citizen could have absolute faith and trust in the FDA, this issue would still be enough to make anyone uneasy. After all, the drugs that the FDA monitors and releases go into our bodies, and even though we don’t always realize it, they can have serious, sometimes fatal, long-term effects on our health.

I am not so much bothered by the liberty that the decision would give the FDA but rather by the leeway it would give to larger, overpowering pharmaceutical companies.

The reasoning behind the proposal is that it would eliminate frivolous law suits which cause the pharmaceutical companies precious money and time, which they would of course use to research other health issues and develop solutions to larger problems.

I’m not so convinced by these companies’ “good intentions,” though. It has been proved multiple times that pharmaceutical companies have intentionally released incomplete or manipulated information to the FDA in order to get their products approved. Imagine that! They make drugs to make money, not to save lives.

It is only obvious that if this law is passed, the pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers aren’t necessarily going to take extra measures to make sure their drugs are safe. In fact, I predict the opposite will happen. Drug companies will become more negligent in upholding their policies, knowing they will be protected by the FDA. If consumers aren’t allowed to keep these companies accountable for their products, then who will?

Besides the accountability issue, the idea of not allowing citizens to sue drug companies endangers the people. Directly, the American people are put in a dangerous position when they are forced to rely on questionably unsafe drugs. Indirectly, the voice of the people is being threatened as the government takes away one liberty after another.

The solution to this problem is not simple. I don’t disagree that there are too many frivolous lawsuits filed each year, but peoples’ lives are more important. The government should not allow pharmaceutical companies to hide behind the protection of the FDA. Everyone, especially those who are controlling something as important as the food and drugs we consume, should be held accountable for their actions.

Menu

Opinion

Drug manufacturers looking to hide behind the FDA