What is the FDA?
The FDA, Food and Drug Administration, the authority is responsible for testing and certifying the safety of a wide range of products. Food, medicines, medical devices, veterinary medicines and cosmetics are just a small excerpt from that which the FDA regulates. Pharmaceutical products must, for example, through a lengthy approval process, in which a drug, the FDA weighs the potential benefits against the potential risks and take decisionswhether they allow the public the drug on the market. So the FDA is responsible for dangerous and defective food, keep medicines and cosmetics from the hands of consumers.
Criticism of the FDA
The FDA sweeping authority and legislative powers to make it often the target of criticism and protest of big business and consumer interest groups alike. This controversy, spurred on both sides of economists, lobbyists, legislators, lawyers, interest groups andCitizens, hardly showing signs of a resolution today.
On one side of the argument are those who believe that the FDA is an unnecessary obstacle. Viewed from this standpoint, the FDA, the consummate bureaucratic red tape - slowly, mindless, and unresponsive. The process is arduous for the delay in the release of potentially life-saving drugs and push up consumer prices due to tight supply held responsible. In response to this criticism, a law was passed, which authorizedthe FDA to drugs for terminally ill patients released at an earlier stage of approval.
On the other hand, many people and organizations feel that the FDA actually failed to meet its legal obligation. In their eyes, the FDA's strict regulations and guidelines is not enough to protect the public from dangerous drugs and products. The proponents of this camp argue that the FDA is too much by the political and financial power of large corporations affected. Moreover, they areare critical of public budgets, which may not have sufficient resources for the FDA's review and regulatory programs offer.
All in all, it is easy to see why FDA officials it difficult might be finding a middle ground between these two opposing camps. Unfortunately, when the FDA does - or not to act - in accordance with one or the other, consumers are the victims. If rules are too strict, important products that are not on the market at the time when they are too lax, dangerousSubstances can find their way into the hands of our children.
