This week, the F.D.A. publically warned consumers about possible suicidal thoughts and extreme depression associated with two popular drugs that aid in quitting smoking, Chantix and Zyban. The makers of both drugs have agreed to put warnings on these products to inform consumers of the recently discovered potential hazards.
These revelations concerning Chantix and Zyban are coming at a time when several other over-the-counter and prescription drugs are being cited for extremely harmful side effects. In all cases, the FDA has either required new warnings to be affixed to the products’ packaging or additional testing to take place. However, since all of these consequences have occurred after the products have been available in the market for some time, this may represent a partial failure of the FDA to detect dangerous substances before they are released. In order to protect itself from harsh public scrutiny and also to protect consumers in the long run, the FDA may decide to force new products to undergo more strenuous tests and trials before they are approved for general sale. This would represent an increase in costs and the time it takes to release a product for firms, which would therefore increase the cost of these products to society. The question is, will an increase in the cost of all new pharmaceuticals be worth the greater certainty that an extremely small percentage of these products will not harm a small portion of society?

Meredith Shores
Zach Ogaz
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/health/02drug.html?scp=2&sq=fda&st=cse