Blue, I am sure your "simpleton" comment was aimed at me and it was well deserved. I am a simmpleton in not knowing much about medicine and the inner workings of government agencies. My viewpoint is strictly from an outsider looking in and we all know that can lead to many and frequent errors.
I would first like to apologize to the FDA workers, for I am sure that the vast, vast majority of them are doing the best they can under the circumstances and direction that they have been given. I applaud them, but only them.
It doesn't take a genius to see how things operate today, EVERYTHING leads back to MONEY. I come from a military background and respect them to high hell, but I see the parade of flag grade officers beating a quick path to corporate cushy jobs immediately after retirement and realize it is the same there as everywhere else. Gottlieb, ex FDA chief, is a prime example of which I speak. Am I sure he has done wrong, no, but it sure looks bad from the "simplistic" view.
I also take umbrage with the "mindset" of FDA management as IMO it is too closely aligned with "academia" mindset, that of eternal committees, reviews, and next to no progress. Can anyone give a good reasoning why a new drug takes a little over a decade now to get to commercialization? Need a whole new mindset IMO and that takes new leadership. Sadly, that isn't going to happen as long as FDA is a political appointment of the President and must be approved by the Senate (No problems with this setup -LOL).
You are obviously well-read and I respect your viewpoints, I just speak from a different perspective. As with me and Empiricist, who also have the same polar opposite viewpoints on many issues, you and I just have to agree to disagree.
Again, no disrespect to hard working government employees, just to those making a killing off the system to the detriment of the country. I will back off further ranting about govt agencies.
Example: My Dad was head of the Navy F4 Phantom and F8 Crusader programs during VietNam and he came home cursing often at the orders from above he had to follow. A good example was changing the Blue Angels to fly the F4. Dad knew all that would do is kill many good pilots and make even more severe parts shortages for the war effort as he had commanded a squadron of F4s in the Pacific. The F4 had all the glide capability of a flying refrigerator, had to fly at near stall speed during shows, wasn't the greatest maneuver er, yet it looked really kick-ass so that was the go to plane. Bottom line - lost many good pilots and planes and war effort suffered due to lack of parts. I am sure all other govt agencies work under the same head-banging directives from above.
News 
Market Data 
Discover 
AI
