The FDA’s favorite guinea pig farm

This has to be one of the most boneheaded lies ever uttered by an FDA official. Seriously — it will be nearly impossible for anyone to ever top this one.

The official is Jeff Shuren, M.D. — the director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

Recently, when discussing standards and safety with reporters, he quoted a doctor who claimed that under the European Union regulatory system “the public are being used as guinea pigs.”

Then Dr. Shuren added his own take on the situation: “We don’t use our people as guinea pigs in the U.S.”

Unbelievable!

Either he knows that’s COMPLETELY untrue, or he doesn’t know what “guinea pig” means. Or “people.” Or “U.S.”

As we’ve seen time after time, FDA protocol for approving drugs and devices treats America as if it’s a huge guinea pig farm.

I’m sure EU regulatory systems cater to Big Pharma and device makers just as ours do. But to suggest that our system is ethically superior would be laughably absurd if it weren’t so insulting.

Sources:
“EC Official to FDA Official: Who’s a Guinea Pig? Ed Silverman, Pharmalot, 2/25/11, pharmalot.com