A federal administration headed by a conservative Republican ideologue opposed to rigorous government oversight and regulation of business poses an imminent death threat to innocent Americans in this era of free trade and globalization.
The danger is, if anything, more real and insidious than that posed by al Qaeda terrorists.
The latest evidence comes with news of injury and deaths caused by the drug heparin evidently produced with ingredients from — where else? — China.
A Chinese factory that has not been inspected by the Food and Drug Administration is the source for the active ingredient of a critical blood-thinning drug whose production was suspended this week after 350 patients reported ill effects from it.At least four people died after being given the drug, heparin.
. . .The Government Accountability Office recently reported that at its current inspection pace, the FDA would need at least 13 years to inspect every foreign drug plant that exports products to the United States. The office, an independent arm of Congress, also found that the FDA’s computer systems were deficient and it had little idea how many plants had been approved for exports to the United States.
If you read the whole story, which you should, you’ll discover the FDA recommends physicians practice some very questionable medicine.
The FDA cautioned doctors to use as little of the Baxter drug as possible and to infuse it into patients very slowly.The agency also suggested that doctors consider giving steroids or antihistamines along with the Baxter heparin to help prevent possible severe allergic reactions.
To our skeptical conservative friends who will protest this shouldn’t be laid at the White House doorstep: get real. President Bush who can’t get enough of free trade and globalization or too little of regulation and oversight, and his fellow ideologues who write the FDA budget, are directly and personally responsible for this situation.
As people in New Orleans will testify, incompetent, conservative Republican government isn’t just bad, it can be deadly.
Remember that the next time these people proudly proclaim how dedicated they are to keeping you safe.
