New Law Is A Step Toward Safer Drugs

New WISPIRG-backed legislation signed by the president in September should make the drugs we put in our medicine cabinets safer.

WISPIRG urged Wisconsin’s congressional delegation to stand behind provisions that would require greater transparency in clinical trials of new drugs, greater independence on FDA drug safety panels and greater accountability for drug companies that fail to perform required safety studies—including fines of up to $10 million.

According to Paul Brown, our lead advocate on the issue, “in the end, there were too many headlines about dangerous drugs. Congress had to act.”

The bill’s near-unanimous final approval belied the intense debate that surrounded its key provisions. We made it a priority to require drug companies to disclose clinical trial results—a step vehemently opposed by drug industry lobbyists.

As part of U.S. PIRG, our national federation, we spearheaded the Patients and Consumers Coalition. We made the case for these reforms in meetings with congressional leaders who ultimately championed the provision.