FDA approved doesn’t guarantee drugs are safe or effective

Trudy Lieberman Special to the Village News

What does the label "FDA-approved" really mean? Most people probably think it assures that a drug you take is safe and effective for the condition you have. It seems to say a drug has passed muster with the drug safety experts in Washington so it’s okay to use it, right? Well, not quite.

An investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has just concluded FDA approval is no guarantee a drug is safe and effective, and the paper’s investigation of diabetes drugs, should make every user of prescription drugs think twice about medications their doctors...