The Food and Drug Administration got more power today as President George W. Bush signed a measure that gives them more authority to police dangerous side effects from prescription drugs after they are marketed.
The measure is largely a response to the controversy surrounding Merck &Co Inc's (NYSE:MRK) Vioxx. Merck voluntarily withdrew Vioxx, a widely used arthritis medication, from the market in 2004 after it was linked to strokes and heart attacks.
The FDA will be able to require that new warnings appear on marketed prescription drugs, order post-completion studies or even limit the medication's distribution.
An added bonus to the signing is that it will avert the massive layoffs that the FDA was anticipating. Funding for the extra staff will come from and extention and increase in industry fees.
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