Shocking drug bill proposed by the House

A Republican amendment adopted last week by House appropriators could weaken efforts to protect the public from unsafe drugs, tobacco, lead-filled candy and even tainted blood, the Food and Drug Administration said Monday in several documents. The amendment, from Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), would restrict the kind of information regulators use when making their decisions. The amendment cleared the Appropriations Committee last week. "FDA must sometimes act when there are credible risks, but before the weight of scientific evidence has been established," the FDA said in its analysis of the amendment. "This amendment would require that consumers actually be harmed before FDA can take certain actions to protect the public health."

Steve - just when you think you have heard and seen it all. Now that the FDA has been actually doing their job to some degree over the last few years, this amendment wants to all but abolish any oversight powers they have? If this actually was put into law, it would essentially mean we are all guinea pigs if we take new drugs. History has shown you cannot rely on industry financed research to show drug safety. Who in their right mind would take a new drug if this was the case? Wow. This one is more than just a head-scratcher.