FDA and drug firms

Re “Food, Drugs and a Beleaguered Agency,” Oct. 1

The Times attempts to explain why Food and Drug Administration approval does not mean drugs are necessarily safe, but it fails to point out perhaps the most significant reason. In recent years, the agency has been run in a manner that maximizes profits to drug companies at the expense of protecting the public. The drug companies frequently submit research that they commissioned, while the FDA rubber-stamps the approvals to get the drugs out to the public as quickly as possible.

JEFF GARBER

San Diego