Survey on Drug Safety from Research America!

Posted on | May 24, 2010 | Comments Off on Survey on Drug Safety from Research America!

WASHINGTON—Research America! Press Release, May 20, 2010— Nearly three-quarters of Americans are confident in our system for reviewing the effectiveness and safety of new medicines and medical devices, yet 41% say it takes too long to approve a drug and allow it to be sold to consumers. These are among the findings in a new poll from Research!America (pdf).

Three-quarters of Americans accurately named the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the government agency that regulates products such as new drugs and medical devices, and a majority (72%) says they see the FDA as a trustworthy source of medical research information.

When asked the most important role of the FDA, 59% say protecting the safety of Americans; 17% say providing accurate information about benefits and risks associated with medicines and medical products; and 7% say regulating companies that produce medicines and medical products.

“Public expectations for medical progress are very high—Americans want new drugs and medical devices delivered faster, and they rightly want safety to be a top priority,” said Mary Woolley, president and CEO of Research!America.“To meet these expectations, resources for FDA and our nation’s health research agencies—the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—need to keep pace so they can fulfill their missions, and the public needs to let elected officials know how important these issues are.” (CONTINUE….)