My fellow historians remember the medical history class in which we learned that the Food and Drug Administration was developed to enforce the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906; its purpose is to ensure medicine, cosmetics, and food products are safe and effective (Weill Cornell Medicine., 2022). It resulted from 1906 when an article was released exposing the filth in a meat packing plant. This Chicago-based food distribution company knowingly sold consumers rotten meat with rat parts. Hence, the Food and Drug Administration is now a government agency that oversees prescription medication, including advertising to the public. Although other acts have been made to strengthen the agency’s power, the primary purpose is to ensure that Americans’ medications are safe.
Other regulatory agencies that affect prescriptions include the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), which is responsible for the scheduling of narcotics (Drug Enforcement Administration, 2018). The DEA enforces the Controlled Substance Act that categorizes medications based on their addictive rates; the lower the number, the more likely it is to cause addiction. In this country, schedule 1 drugs such as LSD and heroin are illegal, while level 2 medications are highly regulated, requiring extreme oversight.
Although the United States has federal agencies that collaborate to ensure medication safety, it and other countries are also assisted by the World Health Organization (WHO) (World Health Organization, 2017). The WHO’s Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication Without Harm goal is to obtain and ensure the safety of medication practices and reduce the associated harm. The Medication Without Harm initiative was launched on March 29, 2017, at the Second Global Ministerial Patient Safety Summit and strived to reduce avoidable medication-related injuries. The success of their endeavor will soon be determined, as the goal was a 50% reduction by 2022.
Drug Enforcement Administration. (2018, July 10). Drug Scheduling. Www.dea.gov. https://www.dea.gov/drug-information/drug-scheduling
Weill Cornell Medicine. (2022). The Food and Drug Administration: the Continued History of Drug Advertising | Weill Cornell Medicine Samuel J. Wood Library. Cornell.edu; Weill Cornell Medicine. https://library.weill.cornell.edu/about-us/snake%C2%A0oil%C2%A0-social%C2%A0media-drug-advertising-your-health/food-and-drug-administration-continued#:~:text=The%20United%20States%20Food%20and
World Health Organization. (2017). Medication Without Harm. WHO. https://www.who.int/initiatives/medication-without-harm
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