Many people are unaware that the stringent standards and protocol that drugs have to go through today were not always in place. As a matter of fact, in the past, most drugs were produced on such a small scale by manufacturers that placing a legislative system and regulatory control over their manufacturing would not only be difficult, but foolish as well. That means that at one point in time, drugs could claim things that they did not actually do, and suffer no repercussions, even if they were unsafe for human consumption. Even when regulatory laws did in fact exist, they were nearly never enforced, as there was hardly and procedure in place that would allow them to be. It wasn’t until there were a series of outbreaks of tetanus and contaminated smallpox and diphtheria vaccines, that regulation standards were increased. These standards were only increased then because of the many deaths that were being caused by unregulated and improperly administered biological drugs.
It was not until the Biologics Control Act of 1902, that every single drug distributed had to go through a process by the federal government to be approved before allowing it into the marketplace. This grant could only be obtained if the drug itself and the facility manufacturing it were up to code. This was promptly followed by the Pure Food and Drugs act, which would go on to forbid the distribution of improperly branded foods and drugs. A drug would be considered improperly branded if it had things like opium, cocaine, alcohol, or a number of other dangerous and addictive substances within it. Especially if the label did not indicate the percentage amount of each drug it possessed.
Unfortunately, many speedbumps were hit on the way to developing a good regulatory system for drugs. This is because the enforcement of these new laws was undermined by the Supreme Court because of the unclear specifications stated in the law regarding a drug’s ingredients and how they should be displayed.
Anthony Harrelson is the CEO of a company that is developing ways to combat the HIV virus, as well as Ebola.
It was not until the Biologics Control Act of 1902, that every single drug distributed had to go through a process by the federal government to be approved before allowing it into the marketplace. This grant could only be obtained if the drug itself and the facility manufacturing it were up to code. This was promptly followed by the Pure Food and Drugs act, which would go on to forbid the distribution of improperly branded foods and drugs. A drug would be considered improperly branded if it had things like opium, cocaine, alcohol, or a number of other dangerous and addictive substances within it. Especially if the label did not indicate the percentage amount of each drug it possessed.
Unfortunately, many speedbumps were hit on the way to developing a good regulatory system for drugs. This is because the enforcement of these new laws was undermined by the Supreme Court because of the unclear specifications stated in the law regarding a drug’s ingredients and how they should be displayed.
Anthony Harrelson is the CEO of a company that is developing ways to combat the HIV virus, as well as Ebola.
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