Difference between revisions of "Does the FDA's regulatory monopoly kill large numbers of people? No."
From Critiques Of Libertarianism
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Third, we DO have examples of unregulated drugs in the US, and they are not good. The entire [[Alternative Medicine]] and nutritional supplements industries consist of generally ineffective treatments and products that are often harmful. For example: [[FDA ban nearly wiped out deaths, poisonings from ephedra]]. "Using data from the National Poison Data System, the researchers found that ephedra poisonings peaked at 10,326 in 2002 and then began a significant decline to 180 by 2013." | Third, we DO have examples of unregulated drugs in the US, and they are not good. The entire [[Alternative Medicine]] and nutritional supplements industries consist of generally ineffective treatments and products that are often harmful. For example: [[FDA ban nearly wiped out deaths, poisonings from ephedra]]. "Using data from the National Poison Data System, the researchers found that ephedra poisonings peaked at 10,326 in 2002 and then began a significant decline to 180 by 2013." | ||
| − | < | + | <hr> |
| − | + | From [[Ineffective FDA criticism by "Professors Of Liberty"]] | |
| − | > According to George | + | |
| − | + | > According to George Hitchings, co-winner of the 1988 Nobel prize in medicine, the FDA's 5 year delay in approving the anti-bacterial drug Septra cost 80,000 lives. | |
| − | + | ||
| − | + | I don't believe it. First of all, Septra is just a combination of two already well known, well used and approved drugs, Trimethoprim and | |
| − | I don't believe it. First of all, Septra is just a combination of two | + | sulfamethoxazole in a ratio of 20:1. Even if the combination was not approved for marketing, any MD could prescribe it and have a pharmacy |
| − | already well known, well used and approved drugs, Trimethoprim and | + | make it up. It's used for a lot of not very serious infections (uncomplicated urinary tract infections, bacterial respiratory tract |
| − | sulfamethoxazole in a ratio of 20:1. Even if the combination was not | + | infections, shigellosis). In any case, the one serious disease it is used for is P.carinii, a severe and life threatening infection in |
| − | approved for marketing, any MD could prescribe it and have a pharmacy | + | patients with AIDS. But claiming that 16,000 people die a year from P.carinii because there was no Septra is bogus, (a) because other |
| − | make it up. It's used for a lot of not very serious infections | + | equally effective treatments exist (pentamidine), (b) because Septra could always be given just as it often is now, as two doses orally of |
| − | (uncomplicated urinary tract infections, bacterial respiratory tract | + | already approved drugs, (c) You don't tell us how many of these 80,000 would have died anyway, from other causes (they had AIDS, remember?). |
| − | infections, shigellosis). In any case, the one serious disease it is | + | |
| − | used for is P.carinii, a severe and life threatening infection in | + | > During their 10 year delay in allowing propanolol, a beta-blocker for treating angina and hypertension and preventing the recurrence of heart attacks, the FDA let approximately 100,000 Americans die by withholding that treatment from them. |
| − | patients with AIDS. But claiming that 16,000 people die a year from | + | |
| − | P.carinii because there was no Septra is bogus, (a) because other | + | 100,000? Where on earth do you get these figures???? Propanolol (more commonly known as Inderal) is most commonly used to treat hypertension and angina. Effective treatments existed prior to propanolol and are still used today, and angina is not life threatening. The only people who would die without propanolol are those who do not respond to any other drugs or to those who have life threatening arrhythmias, when it has to be given intravenously. Many of these die anyway, because intravenous propanolol is not found on any street corner, no doubt because the FDA is holding up the approval of your basic $0.75 intravenous Inderal vending machine: deposit coins, insert arm, wait, remove. |
| − | equally effective treatments exist (pentamidine), (b) because Septra | + | |
| − | could always be given just as it often is now, as two doses orally of | + | Anybody else remember the private, independent certification company CARF that certified Narconon (a bogus drug treatment program which fronts for the Scientologists) as safe and effective? It was [http://www.voxeu.org/article/patents-and-global-diffusion-new-drugs a key step in getting it installed in Oklahoma.] |
| − | already approved drugs, (c) You don't tell us how many of these 80,000 | + | |
| − | would have died anyway, from other causes (they had AIDS, remember?). | + | Patents and the global diffusion of new drugs "Long launch lags are common, and nearly 40% of these drugs became commercially available in only 10 or fewer of the countries studied. Limited diffusion of these innovations translates into foregone health benefits for large numbers of people, and is particularly frustrating because the R&D cost of discovering and developing these new drugs has already been sunk." So private business ALSO is responsible for long lag times for drugs reaching patients. If you read the article carefully, it talks about tradeoffs. The same is true of FDA policies: they involve tradeoffs. Until libertarians make up their minds about intellectual property (patents), they have no consistent way to criticize policy tradeoffs. |
| − | > During their 10 year delay in allowing propanolol, a beta-blocker | + | |
| − | + | ||
| − | + | ||
| − | + | ||
| − | 100,000? Where on earth do you get these figures???? Propanolol (more | + | |
| − | commonly known as Inderal) is most commonly used to treat hypertension | + | |
| − | and angina. Effective treatments existed prior to propanolol and are | + | |
| − | still used today, and angina is not life threatening. The only people | + | |
| − | who would die without propanolol are those who do not respond to any | + | |
| − | other drugs or to those who have life threatening arrhythmias, when it | + | |
| − | has to be given intravenously. Many of these die anyway, because | + | |
| − | intravenous propanolol is not found on any street corner, no doubt | + | |
| − | because the FDA is holding up the approval of your basic $0.75 | + | |
| − | intravenous Inderal vending machine: deposit coins, insert arm, | + | |
| − | wait, remove. | + | |
| − | Anybody else remember the private, | + | |
| − | independent certification company CARF that certified Narconon (a | + | |
| − | bogus drug treatment program which fronts for the Scientologists) as | + | |
| − | safe and effective? It was | + | |
| − | + | ||
| − | http://www.voxeu.org/article/patents-and-global-diffusion-new-drugs | + | |
| − | Patents and the global diffusion of new drugs | + | |
| − | "Long launch lags are common, and nearly 40% of these drugs became commercially available in only 10 or fewer of the countries studied. Limited diffusion of these innovations translates into foregone health benefits for large numbers of people, and is particularly frustrating because the R&D cost of discovering and developing these new drugs has already been sunk." | + | |
| − | So private business ALSO is responsible for long lag times for drugs reaching | + | |
| − | patients. | + | |
| − | If you read the article carefully, it talks about tradeoffs. The same is true | + | |
| − | of FDA policies: they involve tradeoffs. | + | |
| − | Until libertarians make up their minds about intellectual property (patents), | + | |
| − | they have no consistent way to criticize policy tradeoffs. | + | |
| − | + | ||
