• $60,000 Americans Needlessly Die
• Former FDA Commissioner Admits Deadly Delays
Deadly Delays
Featured Editorials
FDA's Role in the Problem:
The FDA has caused unnecessary delays in approving life-saving drugs, resulting in thousands of preventable deaths. For example, The FDA’s multi-decade delay of a single drug (ribavirin) that was approved in countries led to 60,000 Americans needlessly dying of hepatitis C. The agency's slow approval processes often prevent Americans from accessing treatments that are available in other countries. These delays extend to Alzheimer’s and cancer drugs that could have significantly improved patient outcomes.
Policymakers can address this by reforming the FDA’s approval process to allow faster access to new treatments. One approach is to implement an “accelerated access” model, where patients with terminal illnesses can choose to take experimental drugs at their own risk. Legislators should also push for reforms that allow physicians greater freedom to prescribe off-label drugs with proven efficacy.
Proposed Policy Solutions:
