Since 1906, the FDA has been treated as the ultimate safety pillar by consumer conscience, and why shouldn’t it be? After all, it’s the only legal and authoritative source that determines what’s beneficial for you and what’s not.

While you should consider the FDA seal, you mustn’t give it your blind faith and support, as there’s a lot of shady stuff happening under the rug. This article offers a balanced perspective on the FDA and why you should take its legitimacy with a grain of salt.

FDA, Trustworthy or Not?

Well! Many of us don’t even bother paying attention to the FDA markings because most of the time, we’re buying products everyone’s buying. And anyway, a drug or product that the FDA has not approved cannot reach the market.

However, we’ve found out that the FDA receives pressure from many pharmaceutical giants. There have been cases where the FDA has approved unsafe drugs with fake data and made them available to the public.

Did you know? A lot of medicines don’t cure your illness, and many that do have some risky side effects. As customers of the one and only, we’re not expected to raise a question against the medicine. The perception is, if you question pharmacy business and its politics, you’re questioning the growth and development of medical science.

Some Findings That Might Blow You Away

You’ll notice that consumers and sellers treat FDA-complacency as the symbol of high-quality and safety-assurance. Here are a few things that might leave you staggered and make you question the legitimacy of FDA and the entire pharmacy industry.

A remarkable investigation into the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) files has brought up some bizarre affairs to light. It was found that the agency redacts some vital information in their publicly available documents and warning letters, which makes it impossible to track down the sponsors, companies and other third parties involved in the research, according to a New York university professor, Charles Seife.

In addition, here’s a list of allegations made on the FDA in the past:

1. Approval of unsafe drugs
2. Approval of unsafe food additives and processing technology
3. Covering up exportation of unsafe products
4. Treating pharmaceutical companies as clients
5. Allegations about data manipulations by the FDA management

Herbert L. Ley Jr, the head of the Food and Drug Administration, has already warned the public about the agency’s inability to safeguard consumers, in his interview with The New York Times.

We dug up lots of information on the FDA, and we don’t think there’s a need to blame the entire organization for the misconducts. Still, while it might not be fair to point fingers at everyone associated with the organization, many officials have kept secrets (even from their own scientific advisors) and protected the perpetrators of scientific fraud to protect their own reputation. And medical professionals aren’t to blame, as they’re not aware of FDA-operations and political side of things.

Managing Symptoms Has a Greater Priority Than Finding Cure

The FDA funds plenty of research, but there are many that are funded by businesses with healthcare or wellness products. For such studies, as long as they follow the GCP (good clinical practice), the FDA acts as a regulator and not as a judge for human welfare.

The FDA is very much an objective entity, so they don’t decide whether a business is trying to create a solution or a recurring revenue stream. Most of the time, the drugmakers or sponsors of the study don’t prefer funding the cure, as products that help manage symptoms, and not cure the disease, yield greater returns.

Are You Really Aware of The Risks?

A drug’s approval chances depend on a mathematical estimate that weighs benefits over risks. And we all know benefits can be very subjective at times. However, the risks can be as far-fetched as stress, depression and, at times, even death. Fortunately, most doctors are mindful and do consider the potential side effects, but what if we told you, there are risks that even they do not know?

To elaborate, there have been, and still are, cases where the FDA has hidden certain findings from the public, especially those that may harm the agency’s reputation in some way. For example, some cases, not all, may include not ceasing products that were found unsafe after FDA-approval, and not removing published studies that were later found to be bogus by the FDA-inspectors.

The FDA is definitely aware of these tainted studies, yet they are still floating on the internet—and we’ve found nothing on their official website besides some warning letters issued to websites and businesses. Why don’t they remove the bogus studies? What could be the reason? Politics? Reputation? Business? Bribe? Make a guess. Maybe all of them!

Can You Really Trust The FDA?

It depends on who you are! People who don’t continuously look for lifestyle changes and are more interested in traditional approach rarely look for new products. Such people can benefit from pharmacy and follow the lifestyle that their parents imparted to them.

However, early adopters, fitness freaks and people who love joining fitness groups and trying different diets shouldn’t rely on just one study from one source to structure their entire lifestyle. Beware! Many people believe the FDA’s procedures root from science-backed studies only, and most are! But many are not! And often, business motivations involve profits, politics and reputation, and not your wellbeing. So, choose products from businesses and brands that you can trust. 

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