Posted by JohnL on November 27, 2000, at 5:42:46
In reply to Good Foreign Drugs Not Available in the US, posted by AndrewB on November 25, 2000, at 22:46:17
Very interesting. I remember reading in a magazine somewhere that the French are way of ahead of the USA in terms of psychiatric drug research. The first SSRI came from them.
I think it's an absolute disaster that Adrafinil and Amisulpride are not available in the USA.
My father is a retired surgeon and believes strongly in the FDA drug approval process. I tend to disagree somewhat, for several reasons:
1) Even with the scrutiny and approval by the FDA, there have been blunders that later proved dangerous. The FDA makes mistakes. Sometimes they underestimate the risk of a drug and approve it anyway. Sometimes they overestimate the risk of a drug and don't approve it. Either way, suffering is increased instead of helped. For the most part they do a good job, but I think they are way to slow and way too political.
2) Many drugs, such as mentioned in this article, have already had extensive testing as well as extensive real-world utilization in other countries. They have such a solid history it almost seems redundant that the FDA would have to study them as if they were somehow new drugs.In any case, I think the FDA is way way too slow. In their effort to prevent suffering, I think they actually increase it instead. There are, in my opinion, drugs out there in the world that totally blow our USA drugs in the weeds. And they've been in use for decades. They should be here by now. Geez. Oh well. Anyway, as with any drug decision, there is a risk/benefit choice that has to be made. I think the doctor and the patient are the ones to make that decision, not the FDA. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule, but that's generally how I feel.
Thank goodness for international pharmacies!
John
poster:JohnL
thread:49426
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001115/msgs/49487.html