Inside the FDA: The Business and Politics Behind the Drugs We Take and the Food We Eat by Fran Hawthorne.
The forces that shape America's most powerful consumer agency Because of
the importance of what it regulates, the FDA comes under tremendous
political, industry, and consumer pressure. But the pressure goes far
beyond the ordinary lobbying of Washington trade groups. Its mandate-one
quarter of the national economy-brings the FDA into the middle of some
of the most important and contentious issues of modern society. From
"designer" babies and abortion to the price of prescription drugs and
the role of government itself, Inside the FDA takes readers on an
intriguing journey into the world of today's most powerful consumer
agency. In a time when companies continue to accuse the FDA of
nitpicking and needlessly delaying needed new drugs, and consumers are
convinced that the agency bends to industry pressure by rushing unsafe
drugs to market, Inside the FDA digs deep to reveal the truth. Through
scores of interviews and real-world stories, Hawthorne also shows how
and why the agency makes some of its most controversial decisions as
well as how its recent reaction to certain issues-including the
revolutionary cancer drug Erbitux, stem cell research, and
bioengineering of food-may jeopardize its ability to keep up with future
scientific developments. Inside the FDA takes a closer look at the
practices, people, and politics of this crucial watchdog in light of the
competing pressures and trends of modern society, revealing what the
FDA is supposed to do, what it actually does-and fails to do-who it
influences, and how it could better fulfill its mandate. The decisions
that the FDA makes are literally life and death. Inside the FDA provides
a sophisticated account of how this vitally important agency struggles
to balance bureaucracy and politics with its overriding mission to
promote the country's health. Fran Hawthorne (New York, NY) is a senior
contributing editor of Institutional Investor and has connections deep
within the business and finance communities. Hawthorne has been covering
healthcare and business for more than twenty years for such
publications as Fortune, BusinessWeek, and Crain's New York Business.
She is the author of The Merck Druggernaut.
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