Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Animal By-Products in Feed

["Duncan Fletcher" <dfletche@gte.net>]

You have nailed the problem on the head - a problem that has no solution.
You want absolute safety, then you shouldn't use anything. You want
something to cure, then you have to take the risk that there may be side
effects. Can't have it both ways. To discover the side of effects of a drug
requires huge numbers of patients (many different types of patients - age,
sex, race, pregnancy status, other drugs taken) to take the drug for many
decades to determine all the side effects - and if we do it correctly it
means we have to know everything about the patient taking the drug - foods
eaten, other drugs taken, all life patterns. We still don't know everything
there is to know about aspirin. But of course we could wait until we do -
which means never: No drug approvals, no herb approvals , no neutriceutical
approvals, no apparatus approvals, etc. That sentence ignores the fact that
herbs and neutriceuticals require no testing and no approvals under current
law.

Whether I take a drug (or herb or neutriceutical)  - or give one to a
horse - will depend on its benefits versus those alternatives that have been
more thouroughly studied and its benefits. If I was about to die, I require
a lot less testing. But if it is to cure a headache, aspirin ain't perfect
but I know more (although not everything) about the risks.

Duncan Fletcher
dfletche@gte.net


----- Original Message -----
From: "Truman Prevatt, PhD"

[snip]
> After reforms in the 60's becaues of the thalidomide tragedy this type
> of
> thing was never going to happen again. Yep right, well wrong again. This
> whole
> issue is a case of conflicting priorities. The need to get drugs
> available for
> use by people who truly need them, the priority to insure the durgs
> approved
> are safe and don't case more problems than they solve and the priority
> of the
> drug companies to make a return on their investment - which in most
> cases is
> quite large.
>
> Am I going to take a drug that hasn't been on the market of 15 or 20
> years,
> not on your life.
>
> Truman
>