Comments on: The FDA vs children’s cold medications http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/10/fda-vs-childrens-cold-medications.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:04:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: LisaMariehttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/10/fda-vs-childrens-cold-medications.html#comment-81283 LisaMarie Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:34:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/10/the-fda-vs-childrens-cold-medications.html#comment-81283 To answer the original question, it's because you don't actually need expertise in the subject to sit on an FDA panel. I attended a meeting about a drug approval where one of the panel members said openly that she did not know enough about the disease in question to understand what the statistical results on clinical improvement that the company presented would actually mean to patients. But hey, someone has to decide these things for the stupid patients and their stupid doctors! To answer the original question, it’s because you don’t actually need expertise in the subject to sit on an FDA panel. I attended a meeting about a drug approval where one of the panel members said openly that she did not know enough about the disease in question to understand what the statistical results on clinical improvement that the company presented would actually mean to patients. But hey, someone has to decide these things for the stupid patients and their stupid doctors!

]]> By: DR. MARY JOHNSONhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/10/fda-vs-childrens-cold-medications.html#comment-81257 DR. MARY JOHNSON Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:50:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/10/the-fda-vs-childrens-cold-medications.html#comment-81257 Kevin, the FDA is merely very belatedly getting around to saying what most Pediatricians have been saying for years - these medicines don't work in kids and they can be dangerous.<br/><br/>Of course, we've had our arms twisted into corkscrews by parents who wanted "medicine" no matter what . . . and the companies that fed the want. <br/><br/>And if we didn't prescribe the stronger versions of these medicines (so insurance would pay), we were "bad doctors".<br/><br/>It's gonna hurt some corporate pocketbooks. The sponsors will have to deal. Kevin, the FDA is merely very belatedly getting around to saying what most Pediatricians have been saying for years – these medicines don’t work in kids and they can be dangerous.

Of course, we’ve had our arms twisted into corkscrews by parents who wanted “medicine” no matter what . . . and the companies that fed the want.

And if we didn’t prescribe the stronger versions of these medicines (so insurance would pay), we were “bad doctors”.

It’s gonna hurt some corporate pocketbooks. The sponsors will have to deal.

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