The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is tasked with making sure that drugs and medical devices are safe and efficient for Americans to use. However, it appears that the agency doesn’t take its job seriously enough, because a new study shows that nearly 1/3 of medications approved from 2001 to 2010 had safety issues years after they were made widely available to patients, and some were quite serious. [1]
Last week was a busy one for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as the nation’s health watchdog began taking serious action to combat the rising opioid crisis.
Source: CDC
It has been a busy month, in general, for top health officials.
Public health directors across the United States are pressuring the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put a “black box” warning, the agency’s strongest warning, on prescription painkillers and sedatives. [1]
The demand, which comes in the form of a petition, comes as cities and states grapple with a growing epidemic of painkiller abuse.
The officials write in the petition submitted Monday:
