A
Anonymous
The article never stated that the market will "cure all ills". Quite the opposite. Read the last couple paragraphs again."I also know for certain that there would be tragic outcomes as well. Without the protection of the government, some people would be taken advantage of by unscrupulous drug manufacturers and deceptive marketing. Some people would hurt themselves taking the wrong drugs or neglecting various drug interactions.boondocks":tczi2qhw said:zirlottkim":tczi2qhw said:I was contemplating the "widget" scenario and wondered how the cost and availability of drugs and health care in a world without FDA. It's an old article but found it interesting. https://fee.org/articles/a-world-without-the-fda/
Ah yes. The old economist's saw that the "market" will cure all ills. In this case, literally.
On the other hand: meds like cocaine, thalidomide, Dalkon Shield, fen-phen, DES...
Also, one cannot argue that governments don't need strong drug oversight authority, because the threat of expensive lawsuits (from "bad" drugs) is sufficient to keep the drug companies honest; and simultaneously argue for tort reform (to prevent high-ticket recoveries).
Moreover, there's the problem that if we let drug companies sell whatever they want, and a drug turns out to cause catastrophic harm to large numbers of people, the government will be stuck with the tab for caring for those injured, because the large number of cases would bankrupt the drug company involved.
The excesses of the free market are what led to regulation in the first place. EG, thalidomide; unsafe food (The Jungle). It didn't happen in a vacuum.
I know multiple people of my generation who can't have kids (or who had major health issues) due to their pregnant mothers' being given DES like it was candy.
But others would be saved by the wider and earlier availability of life-saving drugs.
Would a world without an FDA and prescriptions be a better world? The answer depends on how many lives would be lost from mistakes and how many lives would be saved by the wider and earlier availability of drugs. It would also depend on the value you place on putting responsibility in our own hands rather than having the government take responsibility for us.
" Where was the FDA when Drs were pushing the drugs you mentioned above? I'm reminded of this quote from smart man.... "Those who surrender freedom for security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one."