Post-Market Surveillance "The U.S. has no rational system for 'post-market surveillance' - the evaluation of drugs after they've been approved." That chilling (but not very surprising) comment can be found in a terrific article that appears in the 6/25/07 issue of The New Yorker magazine. Financial writer James Surowiecki turns his attention to the business of drug approval and drug safety, and the revelations are enough to make a person want to avoid prescription drugs and seek out alternative therapies. Imagine that! Mr. Surowiecki notes that once a drug is approved by the FDA, safety scrutiny drops off sharply. In Europe, drug makers are required to review a drug's efficacy and safety five years after its initial approval. No such system exists in the U.S., of course, because that would require an act of Congress, which is deeply infested with drug company lobbyists. You would think drug company executives might realize that they could take that mountain of cash they earmark for lobbying efforts (as well as all the money devoted to legal bills and TV ads designed to persuade us that our health is their number one priority) and put that money toward research that would genuinely ensure drug safety. That would probably save more lives than any single drug. Meanwhile, if you know anyone who still believes the FDA effectively ensures the public's safety, you can direct them to Mr. Surowiecki's excellent article which is available online at newyorker.com. | 
