Posted by Michael Wonder on 23 Jun 2021
FDA chief under fire over Alzheimer’s drug decision
22 June 2021 - US regulator’s approval of controversial treatment shows it is too close to Big Pharma, say critics.
The US FDA’s approval of a controversial Alzheimer’s drug has prompted calls for its commissioner to be removed amid criticism that the medicines regulator is too close to Big Pharma.
This month, the FDA approved the first new Alzheimer’s drug in nearly two decades, offering hope to the roughly 35m people worldwide who live with the disease. But the decision has angered scientists who say the treatment does not work and should not have been approved, and that the regulator ignored scientific advice.
“The agency has long held this esteemed position in the world of drug regulators . . . That is threatened with this case,” said Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an independent advocacy group.
