Hazards of the FDA.(Between The Lines)(Brief Article)

ITEM: Over-the-counter drugs aren't risk-free, the April 13 HealthDay reported. Too much acetaminophen, the active ingredient in many medicines, "can lead to liver damage, and even death, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns. So the agency advises consumers to avoid taking multiple medications that contain the same active ingredient together ..." Accordingly, the "FDA has launched an educational campaign to promote the safe use of over-the-counter pain relievers and fever reducers."

BETWEEN THE LINES: This seemingly benign suggestion just hints at the FDA's influence. The agency regulates products worth a staggering $1 trillion annually, about 25 cents of every consumer dollar, notes former FDA official Henry I. Miller.

Others pay for mistakes generated by the agency's risk-adverse bureaucrats, who would rather say "no" than allow a drug on the market that might distress someone, somewhere, sometime. For example, ...