For this week’s topic on the FDA I decided to read an article titled Sources of drug information: FDA-approved labeling and other official FDA sources written by Jill A. Lindstrom. This article basically covered the FDA and how it protects the public’s health from harmful or toxic foods and drugs. The article also mentioned that the FDA regulates drugs so that they are also safe and fine for the public to use and also how a product is labeled. Labeling was the main point of the article.
The first phase of the article examined the history of the FDA and pretty much how it came to be, and how it regulates our foods and other products along with drugs. The FDA basically started because of a product that was used in the 1930’s that killed over a hundred people because of chemicals that were mixed improperly for a drug. Once this occurred the article made it clear that at that time President Roosevelt signed on for labeling awareness that mandated that all labels needed to be properly labeled for safety reasons so another tragedy would not occur again.
The article then described the importance of labeling on products such as foods and drugs and how important labeling really is for everyone. The article mentioned that labeling in our society today needs to be informative and accurate and neither promotional in tone nor false or misleading in any way. The FDA has regulated that pharmaceutical manufactures are required to provide professional labeling that is complete, unbiased, and evidence-based on their drug products.
I never realized that drugs that are in pharmacies had to have all these rules that the FDA mentioned. I think it’s pretty amazing that the FDA needed to do this to insure that these drugs were correct and accurate for the people in our society. These drugs are what doctors and millions of people depend on in order to live a healthy life or to help treat a problem or disease that might kill them. I cannot even believe that a company for a drug would ever lie on a label, just because of the risk of killing people if that drug was inaccurate.
Later in the article the author talked about how the FDA has also made pharmaceutical manufactures include patient labeling with their drugs that they produce. Meaning that manufactures have to include almost a medication guide to prevent any mix ups or questions that may arise once the produce is actually in the hands of an individual. This labeling includes that it could prevent a serious effect from the drug, patient knowledge of a serious potential risk essential to the patient’s decision making process about whether or not to use the drug, it allows for people to read frequently asked questions with answers that is also on the labeling. Important refill information is also present that could avoid any confusion for anyone that is associated with the product.
I was again surprised that the FDA felt the need to make this rule just because I would like to think that these companies that produce these drugs would make this labeling on their own for the benefit of their produce and for the benefit of their company. I honestly do not believe that a drug company would risk that just because of what’s at stake. I would imagine that most companies would do everything they could to ensure the safety of everyone using their product because of the possibilities of being recognized as a superior supplier and a company that helps people live normal or better lives.
In conclusion the FDA uses numerous ways to speak information to people about food and drug products. New and better information is always being approached by the FDA to ensure the safety of all its products to make sure that people like us are safe and healthy also. Without the FDA I’m sure that many problems would arise from products because of the manufacturing companies and how they would label and try to sell their products, meaning they would just about say anything in order to sell. As I have learned from in class people will believe just about anything that is advertised or told to them or whatever is on a label. That is why I believe that the FDA is extremely important to the well-being in society because I think a few companies might try to take advantage of people just to make a quick buck, and not even care about what the consequences might be for that individual. This way with the FDA around most of these things cannot happen especially on important products. Hopefully the FDA will gain more power and find even better ways to allow for people to stay healthy and not to fall into the trap that some labels on products mention that are not accurate.
Joe Stevens
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