1/3 of FDA Approved Medicines Are Scams

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is charged with safeguarding public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of drugs, but the reality is far more sinister. Approximately 30% of FDA-approved drugs are later found to have significant safety or efficacy issues that lead to either black-box warnings, market withdrawals, or complete revocation of their approval. This shocking statistic exposes a grim truth: the FDA, compromised by regulatory capture, has become a puppet of the pharmaceutical industry. As a result, greed and corruption have created a system where one-third of the industry—and possibly more—operates on a foundation of false promises, cutting corners, and putting lives at risk.

Regulatory Capture: Big Pharma Funds Its Own Watchdog

The FDA receives nearly half of its funding for drug reviews from "user fees" paid by pharmaceutical companies—a glaring conflict of interest. These fees, which amounted to $1.15 billion in 2023 alone, incentivize the FDA to prioritize the interests of the very companies it is supposed to regulate. This relationship has transformed the FDA from a public health watchdog into a complicit enabler of Big Pharma's greed.

The Approval Pipeline: Built for Profits, Not Safety

1. Rushed Approvals:

   • Many drugs are approved after short-term trials that fail to capture long-term risks. Pharmaceutical companies push for expedited approvals to start profiting as quickly as possible.

   • Example: Vioxx (Rofecoxib) was approved as a painkiller but later caused tens of thousands of heart attacks before being pulled from the market.

2. Suppressed Data:

   • Drug manufacturers routinely withhold negative trial results or manipulate data to downplay risks. The FDA often looks the other way, approving drugs despite incomplete or misleading data.

3. Weak Post-Market Surveillance:

   • After drugs hit the market, the FDA relies on underfunded and poorly implemented surveillance systems to monitor adverse effects. Many serious risks go unnoticed until widespread harm has occurred.

A System Fueled by Greed

The pharmaceutical industry is one of the most profitable sectors in the world, with a global market value of over $1.5 trillion. Yet this wealth is built on a foundation of corner-cutting and disregard for public health. The FDA's lax standards and cozy relationship with Big Pharma make it complicit in this greed-driven system.

The Cost of Corruption

• Lives Lost: Patients suffer or die because dangerous drugs are rushed to market.

  • Example: Fen-Phen, a weight-loss drug, caused severe heart valve damage before being banned.

• Public Health Undermined: The revolving door between the FDA and pharmaceutical companies ensures a system of mutual back-scratching, where profits come before safety.

• Erosion of Trust: The public's faith in medicine and regulatory agencies has plummeted, with many questioning whether any drugs can truly be trusted.

Fake Medicine: A Third of the Industry Exposed

If nearly 30% of approved drugs fail to meet basic safety and efficacy standards, how many more are skating by due to weak oversight and suppressed data? This statistic points to a terrifying possibility: a significant portion of the pharmaceutical industry may be built on fake, unsafe, or ineffective products, all due to unchecked greed.

The Path to Reform

To dismantle this corrupt system, sweeping changes are needed:

1. End Pharmaceutical Funding of the FDA: Public health agencies must be fully funded by taxpayers, not industry fees.

2. Stricter Approval Standards: Require longer, more comprehensive trials with independent oversight.

3. Independent Post-Market Surveillance: Strengthen adverse event reporting systems and mandate independent monitoring of approved drugs.

4. Hold Big Pharma Accountable: Impose harsher penalties for data manipulation, non-disclosure, and safety violations.

The FDA's corruption and Big Pharma's greed have turned a system meant to protect lives into one that gambles with them. With one-third of approved drugs failing to meet the standards of safety and efficacy, it’s clear that reform is not just necessary—it’s a matter of life and death. It’s time to break the stranglehold of profit-driven medicine and restore integrity to public health.