An investigation by reporters with The Lever finds “drug companies have been allowed to market hundreds of prescription drugs to doctors and sell them to unsuspecting patients despite glaringly inadequate evidence that they offer any benefit and in many cases amid clear signs that they pose a risk of serious, often irreparable harm.”
NBCC President Fran Visco on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s drug approval process and what it means for patient health and well-being:
Everybody from the [FDA] commissioner on down keeps telling us that approving these marginal drugs will lead to an accumulation of benefits to patients over time, but if a drug doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, and putting them all together doesn’t add up to an effective treatment.
The entire medical oncology treatment world is built on a shaky foundation of limited evidence and uncertain patient benefit, but rather than admit that, we keep tweaking it and building on top of it.
And it’s not just that you are giving people things that don’t work, these drugs will harm them, and they are financially toxic.
Read the full article on The Lever, and learn more about NBCC’s FDA reform work.
