Nelson (2011) states that: “The Precautionary principle deserves no credit for blocking the clinical licensing of Thalidomide, along with many other drugs under consideration at the time.” He further states that the introduction of the PP for medication has led to delays in treatment and prolonged suffering for thousands of patients e.g. it has been estimated the Food, Drug and Administration’s prohibition against the cardio pump which is used on unconscious heart attack victims, costs approximately 7.000 lives in the U.S per year. Another FDA delay in approving Tacrine has reduced the quality of life for thousands of Alzheimer’s patients.”
However when the FDA replaced the precautionary principle with a true risk-benefit analysis lives were saved. It was then found that Thalidomide actually has many beneficial uses and is the drug of choice for one of the manifestations of leprosy and it is today being considered as a treatment for cachexia in patients with advanced AIDS.
It should be noted that there is never really a zero risk with anything in life hence a risk assessment is needed with every activity we conduct and whilst science can give a high level of confidence, it can never provide certainty. The application of the precautionary principle especially in industry actually removes the necessity for science and …show more content…
Consequently, why apply something which is considered vague by academic bodies? Precautionary principle in theory is a good principle and can bring about some good insights; however the principle is just not as good as it is on paper and cannot work in practice. The mere fact that the precautionary principle is not wholly defined and has certain elements that are still unclear, it therefore brings a grey area to its application - who wants to apply what they don’t fully
However when the FDA replaced the precautionary principle with a true risk-benefit analysis lives were saved. It was then found that Thalidomide actually has many beneficial uses and is the drug of choice for one of the manifestations of leprosy and it is today being considered as a treatment for cachexia in patients with advanced AIDS.
It should be noted that there is never really a zero risk with anything in life hence a risk assessment is needed with every activity we conduct and whilst science can give a high level of confidence, it can never provide certainty. The application of the precautionary principle especially in industry actually removes the necessity for science and …show more content…
Consequently, why apply something which is considered vague by academic bodies? Precautionary principle in theory is a good principle and can bring about some good insights; however the principle is just not as good as it is on paper and cannot work in practice. The mere fact that the precautionary principle is not wholly defined and has certain elements that are still unclear, it therefore brings a grey area to its application - who wants to apply what they don’t fully