FDA finally starts to look at suicide risks for some meds
Imagine if the only thing more dangerous than not quitting smoking was, well, quitting smoking. Before you go thinking I've lost my marbles, let me explain.
Anti-smoking meds are among the drugs that the FDA will now review to gauge the psychiatric effects of drugs intended to remedy common ailments.
The FDA announced recently it will research on a case-by-case basis complaints that some drugs might jar patients from their mental equilibrium, leading to psychiatric problems and even suicide. To start, the FDA will look at medications for asthma, allergies and smoking.
Some of these drugs have been tied to lawsuits in recent years.
Of course, the FDA stopped short of mandating the use of a system that a research group at Columbia University has developed for evaluating the suicide risks in companies' drug trials. The Columbia group analyzes data about who has suicidal thoughts among those who participate in drug trials.
Heaven forbid we get this information before a drug is approved and mass- marketed.
The crazy thing it, the FDA helped pay for the development of the Columbia system. It should use it to evaluate all drugs for potential psychiatric issues. And, if administrators don't believe the system is good enough, the government should develop a better assessment.
We should err on the side of caution — not on the side of the quickest path to market for a drug.
But the FDA, in my opinion, has a history of not taking links between prescription drugs and suicide seriously. This summer, the FDA reviewed the findings of a panel of advisers about the suicide risks of 11 anti-seizure medications. The data showed a small increased risk. Of course, any risk is of concern in a family worried about a loved one's mental stability. The panel decided against imposing the government's most stringent warning on these meds.
Now, the FDA is starting to take a half step on analyzing drug-suicide risks. But it's less than we need, and less than the people on these drugs deserve.
