This is comforting. Really.

The American public is "virtually defenseless" if another medication such as Vioxx proves to be unsafe after it is approved for sale, a government drug safety reviewer told a congressional committee Thursday.

"I would argue that the FDA as currently configured is incapable of protecting America against another Vioxx," said David Graham, who warned that the arthritis drug had been linked to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

He told the Senate Finance Committee that there were at least five other drugs on the market today that should be looked at seriously to see whether they should remain there. He cited the acne drug Accutane, the weight loss drug Meridia, the anti-cholesterol drug Crestor, the pain reliever Bextra, and the asthma drug Serevent.

Link.

The Bushies have cut enforcement by 80% at the FDA (according to Rep. Henry Waxman at a committee meeting yesterday on C-SPAN) and seem resigned to let industry do whatever it wants. As a result, the public is less safe. If only the media were willing to do more of an expose on this...