Years of scandal over unsafe medicines have led to beefed-up controls on newly approved drugs.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will be able to force companies to conduct further tests if safety fears are raised after a drug has gone on sale, according to a Senate bill passed last week. The bill also calls for better surveillance to watch for adverse reactions to drugs.
Drug companies have applauded the changes, saying they will improve public trust. Public health experts have also praised plans to register clinical trials, saying this will prevent firms from hiding inconvenient results as they can at present.
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Those agitating for deeper reform say the bill falls well short, however. One major complaint is about financial links between industry and the FDA – companies can pay the agency to review products more quickly. Reformers also want a ban on direct-to-consumer advertising until a drug has been on the market and monitored for side effects for three years.
