Jefflog

Aspirin: Not Approvable

Under the strict rules the FDA imposes on new drugs, it’s likely that drugs like aspirin and acetaminophen (Tylenol) wouldn’t be approved, cited as being too dangerous.

Of course, the advantage that those two drugs have is that they’ve been around long enough that doctors are aware of the most severe side effects. When you’ve got a patented drug to bring to market, you don’t have 30 years to test it for all of its side effects. Also, when you’re paying $25 a day for your medication, you have an expectation of it being safe.

Nevertheless, it’s a real shame that there are probably lots of beneficial drugs in the lab that will never make it to market because of “potential” side effects. The FDA regulations might be killing more people than they are protecting.