> It doesn’t count if some foreign scientists already did a bunch of studies. It doesn’t count if millions of Russians have been using the drug for decades and are by and large still alive.
Um, no, it doesn't. What's the FDA going to do if they have additional questions or want additional studies done?
The FDA doesn't approve these drugs for the exact same reason the author doesn't prescribe them.
Lament the situation, sure, but pointing fingers at the FDA seems dumb.
> The fda doesn't allow them because they are (argues the author) run by big pharma.
The author argues that "big pharma" doesn't seek the FDA approval because there's no way to recoup the expense.
To quote,
"Absent an extremely strong patent on the drug there’s no reason a drug company would want to go forward with all of this. I don’t know what the legalities of buying Russian drug rights from Russian companies are, but I expect they’re complicated and that pharmaceutical companies have made a reasoned decision not to bother."
Note the reasoned decision part. The author's actual point is summarized in the N-2th paragraph:
Everyone follows their own incentives perfectly, and as a result the system as a whole does something insane. Classic multipolar trap..
Um, no, it doesn't. What's the FDA going to do if they have additional questions or want additional studies done?
The FDA doesn't approve these drugs for the exact same reason the author doesn't prescribe them.
Lament the situation, sure, but pointing fingers at the FDA seems dumb.