Corruption in FDA: Improper Concealment of Facts About not Working Drugs

Unapproved prescription drugs unlike over-the-counter medication present significant dangers for patients because the FDA has not measured health, effectiveness, or consistency. There is no way to tell whether such medications are secure and successful for their intended usage, if they are made in a manner that guarantees good product safety, or if their packaging is full and correct, without FDA scrutiny. Unapproved medications have induced patient damage and the Department aims to shield patients from the threats raised by such medications. A lot of prescription drugs exist in the open market as millions of Americans who try to beat the process of getting an actual prescription from a certified doctor or pharmacist going as far as bribing pharmacists to get those drugs. There are lots of prescription drugs that are very popular in the United States. Some of these drugs include Atorvastatin which is a drug that is often used to control high cholesterol levels in the human body, We also have Levothyroxine which happens to be an artificial thyroid hormone that helps people suffering from thyroid shortage, and Omeprazole, which is a proton pump inhibitor prescribed to patients suffering from digestive diseases like ulcers, acid reflux, and gastroesophageal reflux disease also known as GERD.

Prescription drugs are becoming easily accessible because laws which ought to proscribe them are not robust enough. It is even difficult to tell the difference between prescription drugs and over-the-counter medication because they appear to have similar appearances. Experts in the medical field who have in time past written and talked about the unapproved drugs posit that prescription drugs have been existing up till the year 1962 when the FDA criteria for approving the drugs changed. The FDA would sometimes allow drug companies to promote imitations of their already approved drugs given that the companies provide information backing the safety and efficiency of their drugs. But most pharmaceutical companies fail to follow the directives of the FDA and the agency doesn’t blacklist defaulting companies because they are overwhelmed with other important issues. But the FDA is in recent times clamping down on unapproved drug makers by ensuring that they comply with FDA directives or risk having their drugs thrown out of the market. Some of the unapproved drugs in the market like Carbinoxamine, a flu drug, quinine, which is recommended for people dealing with leg pain, and Ergotamine tartrate prescribed for migraine have all been linked to over a hundred deaths. However, getting these drugs off the market is not as easy as people would think, some of these prescription drugs are very important and may be administered without recourse to prescription in emergency situations.

If a pharmaceutical company were to submit their drugs to the FDA for approval, they stand to achieve a lot of economic benefits. The FDA which is in charge of regulating the drug market is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that clinical drugs are researched, and tested on humans to ascertain their safety and efficacy. To the consumers of those drugs, they get cured, while the manufacturers of the drugs may get tax subsidies which are essential for certain medications. The FDA offers orphan pharmaceutical drugs a special status that allows drug makers to create uncommon disease therapies. Such benefits can involve quicker time for acceptance and financial help. Moreover, manufacturers are also allowed to charge significantly higher prices for experimental drugs which, without this government interference, encourages greater competitiveness than is possible. As a consequence, experimental product inventions historically evolve faster than conventional drug production.

The misuse of pharmaceutical medications presents many threats to the human body. Although people may continue to use pharmaceutical medications without a doctor's permission, this is extremely dangerous. Opioids may induce vomiting, mood swings, reduced executive ability, menstruation disruptions, depression, and sluggish breathing. If there is a significant slowing of breathing there is also a chance of collapse or demise. The sedatives and tranquilizers of CNS depressants may cause memory loss and result in seizures. Any stimulants may induce anxiety only in the short term; excessive doses may cause a rise in body temperature and an irregular pulse. Also, there is the possibility of having cardiac disorders and seizures that could lead to death. Also, there is the issue of addiction to prescription medication. Given that people rely heavily on prescription drugs, getting off those drugs becomes very difficult for them. Most prescription drugs require higher doses to achieve desired effects after overreliance on the same dosage of the drug. It is even more difficult for addicts to stop prescription drugs because they may experience withdrawal symptoms after stopping the drug. Some of the withdrawal symptoms associated with prescription drugs include insomnia, bone ache, the feeling of nausea, and involuntary leg movement.

A study conducted at the New York University had researchers sort through data accumulated over a 6-year period starting in 1998, and discovered 57 clinical experiments that were heavily violated due to false information, poor record storage, bad patient safety, and unwillingness to admit side effects. It was reported that misconduct led to a patient having his leg removed after 14 days when it was widely believed that all patients in the trial experienced remarkable improvements. In another development, the FDA has found out that a clinical experiment was undependable, did not include the infraction in its final report. Lastly, there have been reports of a case that research wrongdoings caused the death of a patient.

References

1. Collins, S. P. (2015, February 11). Study Finds 'Disturbing Examples' of The FDA Failing To Disclose Scientific Fraud. Retrieved from ThinkProgress: https://thinkprogress.org/study-finds-disturbing-examples-of-the-fda-failing-to-disclose-scientific-fraud-df654dbf709c/
2. FDA. (2020, January 29). Unapproved Drugs. Retrieved from U.S Food and Drug Administration: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/enforcement-activities-fda/unapproved-drugs
3. GoodRX. (2020, January). Most Popular Prescriptions. Retrieved from GoodRX: https://www.goodrx.com/drug-guide
4. Harrar, S. (n.d.). Are you taking unsafe prescription drugs. Retrieved from Oprah.com: https://www.oprah.com/health/drug-safety-prescription-drugs-not-approved-by-the-fda
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6. ULifeline. (n.d.). The Dangers of Misused Prescription Drugs. Retrieved from ULifeline: http://www.ulifeline.org/articles/390-the-dangers-of-misused-prescription-drugs