How Safe Are Our Prescription Drugs?

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With 80 people dead after using a contaminated blood thinner imported from China, the head of the Food and Drug Administration faced withering cross examination from a Congressional subcommittee this week. If a drug is tested by scientists, does that mean it's safe? What if the scientists took money from the company that made the drug? Would more oversight slow down the process too much? Shouldn't the FDA be able to guarantee the safety of our prescriptions?

Credits

Guests:

  • Peter Pitts - former Associate Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration
  • Eric Meslin - Director of the Center for Bioethics, Indiana University
  • Phil Fontanarosa - Executive Deputy Director, Journal of the American Medical Association

Producers:

Sonya Geis, Katie Cooper