Back to the RadioSpace™ home page
NewsDirect story topics:
Consumer, Business & General Interest
Current Events & Public Affairs
Entertainment & Sports
Health & Medicine
A New Advocacy Campaign Urges the FDA to Enhance Its Management of Unapproved Drugs
Fully produced report in MP3 format:
48 kbps |
96 kbps
(82 seconds)
-- How Will You Use This Story? --
(OPEN):
CITING POTENTIAL HEALTH-RISKS FOR SENIORS, THE "60 PLUS
ASSOCIATION" RECENTLY LAUNCHED AN ADVOCACY-EFFORT URGING THE
FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION TO ENHANCE ITS MANAGEMENT OF
UNAPPROVED DRUGS. "60 PLUS" CHAIRMAN, JIM MARTIN,
DISCUSSES THE PURPOSE BEHIND THE CAMPAIGN...
(MARTIN):
"UNLIKE GENERIC DRUGS, UNAPPROVED DRUGS HAVE NEVER BEEN TESTED FOR
SAFETY AND EFFICACY BY THE F-D-A. OFTEN, THERE'S LITTLE
INFORMATION AVAILABLE, REGARDING THEIR PROPER USE AND DOSAGE--NOT TO
MENTION LITTLE IN THE WAY OF WARNINGS THAT ARE MEANT TO HELP PATIENTS
AVOID DANGEROUS DRUG-TO-DRUG INTERACTIONS. THE F-D-A ITSELF SAYS
THAT 'UP TO SEVERAL-THOUSAND' UNAPPROVED DRUGS ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE
IN THE U-S. AND, MANY DOCTORS ARE UNAWARE OF THE PROBLEM--AS THEY
WRITE MORE THAN 70-MILLION PRESCRIPTIONS FOR UNAPPROVED DRUGS,
EVERY YEAR. MANY OF AMERICA'S PHARMACISTS ARE LARGELY UNAWARE, AS
WELL: IN FACT, A 2006 NATIONWIDE STUDY OF 500 PHARMACISTS FOUND
THAT 91-PERCENT OF THEM INCORRECTLY ASSUMED THAT ALL OF THE PRODUCTS
THAT THEY DISPENSE ARE F-D-A-APPROVED. AMERICANS ENTRUST THEIR
SAFETY TO THE F-D-A: THAT'S WHY WE'RE URGING IT TO FULLY ENFORCE
ITS UNAPPROVED-DRUGS INITIATIVE. AMERICANS DESERVE THE SAFEST
DRUG-SUPPLY POSSIBLE."
(CLOSE):
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE "60 PLUS ASSOCIATION" CAMPAIGN, VISIT
"KEEP-SENIORS-SAFE"-DOT-COM.
