HN user
Has it occurred to anyone else that 23andMe is possibly playing a PR game here? I find it hard to believe that they and their lawyers thought they could ignore the FDA for months. I never heard of the company before yesterday and now I'm seeing them everywhere.
"Fifty years ago, the vigilance of FDA medical officer Dr. Frances Kelsey prevented a public health tragedy of enormous proportion by ensuring that the sedative thalidomide was never approved in the United States."
http://blogs.fda.gov/fdavoice/index.php/2012/02/50-years-aft...
Because drug companies aren't responsible for the actions of their customers. If you overdose on something like acetaphetamine, that's your fault, not Tylenol's. The information is out there regarding proper dosing and you've chosen to exceed that. That's really not a problem with the drug, you can overdose on practically anything, it's just chemistry. Society laughs at people (rightfully, I might add) who get busted drunk driving and try to blame Heineken for their actions. Also, taking 25% over than the recommend dosage several times may damage your liver but it certainly won't kill you. The LD50 for the drug in mice is 338 mg/kg.
"big farma kills millions"
Please cite a drug in the U.S. that has been approved by the FDA and has killed millions of people because it was defective. Overdoses don't count.
"and where they're defended by their unions."
It's worth pointing out that unions are legally compelled to defend all of their members regardless if that person is in the wrong or not.