Story at-a-glance
- Results of a two-year investigation found that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved nearly 75% of new drugs between 2013 and 2022 without meeting its own basic standards
- Some cancer and Alzheimer’s drugs were fast-tracked using surrogate markers like tumor shrinkage or protein levels, not real improvements in survival, memory, or function
- Dangerous side effects — including brain inflammation, hemorrhage, and blindness — were linked to drugs approved on minimal or flawed data, with thousands of deaths occurring each year
- The reporters created a searchable database on FDA drug approvals made between 2013 and 2022 — use it to check if any of your prescriptions meet the four scientific standards
- Always ask if a drug shows real-world benefits, look up its approval history, wait on new drugs, review your prescriptions, and work with a doctor who questions the system
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