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> how many drugs never get to the public None. FDA approval isn't required to manufacture, sell, or purchase drugs. It's only required for companies that want

> how many drugs never get to the public None. FDA approval isn't required to manufacture, sell, or purchase drugs. It's only required for companies that want to make marketing claims about the ability of drugs to treat various illnesses and conditions. As long as the drug you want isn't scheduled by the DEA, you're free to go online and order however much you want.

conanbatt 10y ago
I dont know the details of the us health system and correct me if im wrong, but lacking FDA approval probably restricts a lot of things you can do, aside from doing unprovable claims, though the last one is also allowed for many things that are health and non-health related. I can be swayed , but i do subscribe to the concept that there is an availability bias in FDA approval: the fda has the incentive to be overly cautions, because punishment hurts fda, but banning potentially good medicine does not cause FDA any problems. That, and the potential of regulatory capture make me dubious of any positive claim about the existence of the FDA.
amyjess 10y ago
If it's not a controlled substance, you can buy all you want, but it's illegal to sell it unless it's been approved by the FDA. Sure, if you want to order your meds from online pharmacies based in India and Vanuatu, you can (and I personally know people who order cyproterone acetate from these pharmacies because it's the best oral anti-androgen in existence but hasn't been approved by the FDA mostly out of laziness/cheapness), but you can expect to pay a lot of money. Oh, and you run the very small risk of having your meds confiscated by customs (they legally can't take action against you, because buying isn't illegal, but they can confiscate it because selling is illegal), but thankfully the government only has the resources to actively confiscate meds from online pharmacies one week per year (look up "Operation Pangea"). Even for a drug that's approved by the FDA, you'll be paying more to order the meds online than you will to go to a doctor, pay for the visit out of pocket, and have the prescription filled at Walmart (I have personal experience with this: because it's a pain in the ass to find doctors who will treat trans people, a lot of us start off ordering our meds from online pharmacies before we find a doctor, and it's not a huge deal because dosages are standardized, you can order private blood tests from certain labs, and official clinical guidelines are freely available for download -- but it's always cheaper to go through a doctor even if you're self-paying, the problem is finding a doctor in the first place).
- Alex3917 10y ago
  > it's illegal to sell it unless it's been approved by the FDA. Source? I'm pretty sure this is only true if you advertise the product as being for human consumption. The U.S. has basically zero restrictions on selling random chemicals. C.f.: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/it-could-take-centuries-for-epa-to-test-all-the-unregulated-chemicals-under-a-new-landmark-bill/ http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/it-could-take-centuries-...
  - refurb 10y ago
    You and the grandparent are correct. That's why you have the DEA doing "emergency scheduling" of various analogues of controlled substances. Otherwise, they have no legal recourse to stop the sale of the chemical. That said, if you start claiming your "chemical" has health benefits, then the FDA will get all over you for making unproven health claims. The one exception is the supplement market in the US. If you can trace the chemical back to a natural source, then you are allowed to sell it, and I believe make claims based on what data is available, but you still can't make unproven claims. It's a jungle of regulations out there.
- chiefalchemist 10y ago
  My understanding is, if you possess a prescription drug without a script then that is, at that point, relative to you, an illegal drug. Sure, no one is going to do time for, say, thyroid meds, but opoids is a whole other story. This is why is cracks me up when people want to tie public services (e.g., food stamps) to drug testing. Imagine how many (white) middle class kids would be denied school is their parents' blood/piss tested positive for drugs they had no script for. Lol
  - mveety 10y ago
    That depends. AFAIK, if its prescribed to you and you give it to someone else, that's illegal whether or not its scheduled. Otherwise, if it isn't scheduled, there's no real legal issue there. Drug testing in the US is insane.
omginternets 10y ago
Are you referring to the nutritional supplement exception? A great many drugs don't qualify for that.

conanbatt 10y ago

I dont know the details of the us health system and correct me if im wrong, but lacking FDA approval probably restricts a lot of things you can do, aside from doing unprovable claims, though the last one is also allowed for many things that are health and non-health related. I can be swayed , but i do subscribe to the concept that there is an availability bias in FDA approval: the fda has the incentive to be overly cautions, because punishment hurts fda, but banning potentially good medicine does not cause FDA any problems. That, and the potential of regulatory capture make me dubious of any positive claim about the existence of the FDA.

amyjess 10y ago

If it's not a controlled substance, you can buy all you want, but it's illegal to sell it unless it's been approved by the FDA. Sure, if you want to order your meds from online pharmacies based in India and Vanuatu, you can (and I personally know people who order cyproterone acetate from these pharmacies because it's the best oral anti-androgen in existence but hasn't been approved by the FDA mostly out of laziness/cheapness), but you can expect to pay a lot of money. Oh, and you run the very small risk of having your meds confiscated by customs (they legally can't take action against you, because buying isn't illegal, but they can confiscate it because selling is illegal), but thankfully the government only has the resources to actively confiscate meds from online pharmacies one week per year (look up "Operation Pangea"). Even for a drug that's approved by the FDA, you'll be paying more to order the meds online than you will to go to a doctor, pay for the visit out of pocket, and have the prescription filled at Walmart (I have personal experience with this: because it's a pain in the ass to find doctors who will treat trans people, a lot of us start off ordering our meds from online pharmacies before we find a doctor, and it's not a huge deal because dosages are standardized, you can order private blood tests from certain labs, and official clinical guidelines are freely available for download -- but it's always cheaper to go through a doctor even if you're self-paying, the problem is finding a doctor in the first place).

Alex3917 10y ago
> it's illegal to sell it unless it's been approved by the FDA. Source? I'm pretty sure this is only true if you advertise the product as being for human consumption. The U.S. has basically zero restrictions on selling random chemicals. C.f.: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/it-could-take-centuries-for-epa-to-test-all-the-unregulated-chemicals-under-a-new-landmark-bill/ http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/it-could-take-centuries-...
- refurb 10y ago
  You and the grandparent are correct. That's why you have the DEA doing "emergency scheduling" of various analogues of controlled substances. Otherwise, they have no legal recourse to stop the sale of the chemical. That said, if you start claiming your "chemical" has health benefits, then the FDA will get all over you for making unproven health claims. The one exception is the supplement market in the US. If you can trace the chemical back to a natural source, then you are allowed to sell it, and I believe make claims based on what data is available, but you still can't make unproven claims. It's a jungle of regulations out there.
chiefalchemist 10y ago
My understanding is, if you possess a prescription drug without a script then that is, at that point, relative to you, an illegal drug. Sure, no one is going to do time for, say, thyroid meds, but opoids is a whole other story. This is why is cracks me up when people want to tie public services (e.g., food stamps) to drug testing. Imagine how many (white) middle class kids would be denied school is their parents' blood/piss tested positive for drugs they had no script for. Lol
- mveety 10y ago
  That depends. AFAIK, if its prescribed to you and you give it to someone else, that's illegal whether or not its scheduled. Otherwise, if it isn't scheduled, there's no real legal issue there. Drug testing in the US is insane.

omginternets 10y ago

Are you referring to the nutritional supplement exception? A great many drugs don't qualify for that.