Doublespeak From The New FDA Chief
A recent New York Times Magazine interview with the new FDA chief, Dr. Andrew C. Von Eschenbach, reveals an apparent challenge in clearly expressing his opinion. Here are two Q & A examples that target important health issues:
Q: You are a former director of the National Cancer Institute. Do you think nicotine should be regulated as a drug?
A: As cancer doctors, we have looked at the consequences of tobacco, of which nicotine is one component, but in which there are many other components.
Q: In addition to drug safety, you oversee food safety. Might you consider a national initiative similar to the trans-fat ban conceived by Mayor Bloomberg in New York City? Fast-food chains, of course are the biggest trans-fat users.
A: What I’ve seen is a significant effort on their part to find alternatives to trans fats.
Say what?
On the other hand, he concludes with a stunning and positive comment, after discussing his target date of 2015 to “help eliminate the suffering and death due to cancer”:
Q: Some oncologists say that your plan falsely elevates the hopes of patients.
A: Then I would ask them why they got into medicine in the first place…
Well it certainly wasn’t so they would have the privilege of dealing with the likes of you, Sir.
Kelly Townsend