“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is charged with ensuring that only safe and effective drugs are marketed. Such a task is highly complex and fraught with difficulties. Consumers, the ostensible beneficiaries, should examine and question the incentive structure that FDA officials face. Some drugs are highly beneficial to certain patients but pose an unacceptable risk to others. … So if you’re an FDA official, what are your incentives in terms of whether to approve or disapprove the marketing of a drug that has a tremendous benefit to some patients and poses a health threat to others?” [editor’s note: Altho most of this is hardly news to our regular readers, it is presented with WW’s usual flowing style - SAT] (05/30/07)