RU Crazy?

RU Crazy?

Some time back there was a public outcry regarding a medication called Vioxx. It seems that there were deaths being attributed to the taking of this medicine; heart attack deaths. I remember reading article after article both in the news and on the manufacturer’s, Merck’s, website. .Immediately the FDA called for the removal of Vioxx from the market, and rightly so, the drug should not to be available while the link between it and the death of people was closely examined.

Contrast the above scenario with the drug RU486; a drug, by the way, which is a two part abortion procedure done with little to no observation by a doctor. This drug has been directly linked to the deaths of, up until last week, at least four women! As of last week, two more women’s deaths have been tied to this drug, but yet it remains on the market!
This is unheard of! These last two deaths have prompted the FDA to issue a ‘warning’ concerning this medical abortion procedure. However, the FDA already had evidence of RU486 being linked to deaths from back when this drug was being ‘tested’ and women died. Further, after fast-tracking this drug (a procedure almost exclusively used to get drugs on the market to treat life threatening medical conditions such as AIDS and cancer) women continued to die; particularly horrible deaths too.

With a minimum internet research time of ten to fifteen minutes I was able to find some interesting information about RU486. For instance, this two part chemical abortion requires the second drug to expel the fetus after the first drug chemically alters the uterine lining to stop the supply of nutrients to the fetus, causing its death. Unfortunately the first drug causes a total abortion in only 60-65% of the time, necessitating a powerful drug known as Misoprostol, whose manufacturer, Danco Labs, applied a label warning to said drug saying that they do NOT recommend it for use in chemical abortions. They clearly acknowledge what the FDA is turning a blind eye to: the danger of RU486 to women.

The above begs many questions, number one of which is why was this drug placed on the market when women died in the trials? How about why would the FDA allow the fast tracking of a drug that clearly had nothing to do with saving anyone’s life? Also, after the drug was made available and one death and then another were reported, why did the drug remain on the market? As of the date of my posting this, two more deaths linked to RU486 have been reported, yet the drug remains on the market.

The FDA should immediately suspend the sale of this drug, just as quickly as they stopped the sale of Vioxx, in order to further investigate the untimely deaths of these women and the connection to RU486. Their refusal to stop the sale of this drug when the deaths in the trial were reported shows a failure to do their job of protecting the American people from drugs that can kill them. To allow it to market and to remain on the market after ever more deaths are contributed to RU486 is reprehensible! It seems that abortion is such a politically charged issue that even the FDA runs scared at the possibility of special interests groups with big pockets and Big Media friends getting in their face over RU486. They should do the right thing, though, regardless of what anyone would say or do. The right thing is to withdraw this drug from the market, NOW.