Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Experts sound alarm on drug-approval plan

From the Globe and Mail:
The federal government moved yesterday to meet intense pressure to get new drugs on the market faster while maintaining rigorous safety requirements, but health experts warned that Canadians could be exposed to medicines that are approved too quickly to ensure safety.

The government introduced sweeping changes to the way drugs are approved and monitored such that they will require safety checks before and after they reach the market. The changes are among consumer-product safety measures unveiled in Ottawa.

Health Minister Tony Clement said the rules won't water down safety requirements for new drugs, and the continued monitoring will improve the government's ability to spot problems.

"I can assure you we are not going to change our standards or change our stringent review," Mr. Clement said in an interview. "Our work is going to remain as intense." ...more

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