The chiefs of more than 400 pharmaceutical companies signed a scathing letter this week blasting federal Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s ruling that the Food and Drug Administration had overstepped its authority in approving the abortion-inducing drug mifepristone. The letter was more than justified and, while harshly worded, accurately recounted Kacsmaryk’s abysmal lack of scientific qualification to rule on mifepristone’s safety.
What the pharmaceutical leaders didn’t mention, however, was their industry’s own abysmal record of prioritizing profits over science and pressuring the FDA to fast-track the approval of products that aren’t proven safe. The nation’s opioid epidemic is rooted in the FDA’s failure to stand up to Big Pharma — a record that could come back to haunt the agency as the appeals process plays out regarding mifepristone.
Ultimately, however, the FDA’s record remains intact as the world leader in setting the highest scientific standards to review and test medicines and medical products. Its authority to do so comes from Congress, and Kacsmaryk’s ruling — clearly influenced not by law or science but by his personal religious beliefs — appears to massively overstep his authority.
