And while we may have the best diagnosticians in the world, it all comes down to the availability of life-saving drugs. Other critics are quick to blame our poor showing on world life-expectancy charts on the FDA and its backlog of new drug approvals. Some pharmacists are even suggesting that we don't need the FDA at all. My immediate response is: Of course we do.
While the FDA has come under attack lately for some questionable drug approvals, overall I believe that the FDA does a creditable job of keeping this country's drug supply safe and effective. And when you think of the thousands of drugs it has approved over the years and the lives that have been saved, this is no small achievement.
While most health care professionals are familiar with the FDA's watchdog function over the U. Those defective products ended up causing significant health problems, even though they were cleared or approved. It's important to understand that the FDA does not develop any of the products it evaluates for approval. Nor does it conduct its own testing -- instead, it reviews the results of independent lab and clinical testing to determine if the product, drug or food additive is safe and as effective as it claims to be.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of medical tech devices and products that have been recently cleared by the FDA, but a few we've covered at CNET include:.
More and more tech companies are creating products that can measure vital signs and watch for patterns in your heart rhythm that, in the past, only professional healthcare devices could. We are only going to see more consumer health tech devices in the coming years, and many will be FDA cleared. Despite the ongoing problems of products getting cleared based on older, unsafe predicates, don't be turned off by that label.
Most of these consumer devices won't be invasive or likely to cause significant bodily harm. But if the day ever comes when Apple creates a Class III device, at least you'll be informed enough to understand the implications.
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. What began as the Division of Chemistry became the Bureau of Chemistry after July , but the modern era of the FDA dates to the passage of the Federal Food and Drugs Act, known by many as the most important date in the history of the agency.
From to , there were numerous attempts to pass laws concerning the regulation of domestically produced foods, and eventually drugs, Dr. Swann said. Called the father of the FDA, Dr. Wiley demonstrated his concern about chemical preservatives in foods by calling them adulterants. The act, which the Bureau of Chemistry was charged with administering, prohibited the adulteration and misbranding of foods and drugs. Although the act did not establish standards for food, it did enforce the labeling of ingredients.
The food or drug label could not be false or misleading, and the presence and amount of 11 dangerous ingredients, including alcohol, heroin, and cocaine, had to be listed.
After Dr. Misbranding was a source of considerable controversy in the regulation of drugs, and the bureau lost a lot of egregious cases. Proving fraudulence was difficult, Dr. Human Drugs. Medical Devices.
Cosmetic products such as shampoo, make-up, face creams, and eyelash extensions. Animal food and feed, including pet food, as well as veterinary medicines and devices.
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