FDA once again asleep on the job; the GAO investigates a dangerous drug manufacturer

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Articles Related to This Article: • Kentucky Sues Maker of OxyContin over Marketing Deceptions, Addictive Qualities of "Hillbilly Heroin" • The Addictive Nature of the Pain Killer OxyContin - One Man's True Story • In Sixteen States and Counting: Drugs Kill More People than Auto Accidents Support NaturalNews advertisers - Advertise with NaturalNews Help support NaturalNews with health books and educational programs from Truth Publishing: • Swine Flu Advanced Preparedness • 8 Weeks to Vibrant Health • Raw In Ten Minutes (recipes) • How to Halt Diabetes in 25 Days ... and much more.

Here's another opportunity to contrast the actions of the FDA's actions on prescription drugs versus herbal medicine. As you are probably well aware, the FDA aggressively bans herbs that cause just a few deaths. Ephedra's isolated problems were highly exaggerated and widely publicized in order to solicit an outcry that would justify the FDA's actions to ban the herb. And yet prescription drugs receive no such scrutiny. This story described how a prescription drug named OxyContin is being crushed and snorted by druggies to achieve a heroin-like high. Furthermore, the company making OxyContin distributed promotional videos to doctors that contained all sorts of unsubstantiated claims, such as the claim that fewer than 1% of users become addicted to the drug (many doctors would strongly argue with that).

So how is the FDA acting to protect the U.S. public against this heroin-like drug that's being improperly marketed across the country? It isn't. The investigation was conducted by the General Accounting Office (GAO), which had to actually yank the FDA's chain to get the agency to take a look at this drug. And now, six years after the drug was first introduced, the FDA has taken no steps whatsoever against the makers of OxyContin.

This is stunning news: the GAO, which is perhaps one of the last remaining honest departments in the federal government, is doing the FDA's job! That's why I'm a strong advocate of FDA reform and for creating an Internal Affairs department at the FDA so that somebody is watching over this irresponsible agency that continues to drag its feet when it comes to protecting the public from the dangers of prescription drugs.
About the author: Mike Adams is a holistic nutritionist with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, impacting the lives of millions of readers around the world who are experiencing phenomenal health benefits from reading his articles. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In 2007, Adams launched EcoLEDs, a maker of super bright LED light bulbs that are 1000% more energy efficient than incandescent lights. He also launched an online retailer of environmentally-friendly products (BetterLifeGoods.com) and uses a portion of its profits to help fund non-profit endeavors. He's also a noted pioneer in the email marketing software industry, having been the first to launch an HTML email newsletter technology that has grown to become a standard in the industry. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and regularly pursues cycling, nature photography, Capoeira and Pilates.


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Related Articles: • Kentucky Sues Maker of OxyContin over Marketing Deceptions, Addictive Qualities of "Hillbilly Heroin" • The Addictive Nature of the Pain Killer OxyContin - One Man's True Story • In Sixteen States and Counting: Drugs Kill More People than Auto Accidents	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/000147_oxycontin_prescription_drugs_the_FDA.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. Embed article link: (copy HTML code below): <a href = "http://www.NaturalNews.com/000147_oxycontin_prescription_drugs_the_FDA.html">FDA once again asleep on the job; the GAO investigates a dangerous drug manufacturer</a>