An open letter to Jack Schafer of Slate

After reading a column posted by Jack Schafer yesterday on Slate, I decided to write to the boy about Pharmaceuticals and Media bias. Here it is:

Hi Mr. Schafer,

I dont miss my seldane, but there is a major difference in seldane and vioxx. Seldane only killed 8 people where Vioxx potentially killed 27,000 people.

Some reading for you about other drugs that have been removed from the market:

Times story and its failure to link the usage fees with the lack of oversight by the FDA. However, this editorial that was in the Times today may help clear those ideas up a bit.
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/08/opinion/08wed1.html

You see it is percentage of the budget resources which have been diverted within the FDA in a major way which have failed Vioxx users. It is also unfair to compare drugs that take longer to be removed from the market because sometimes the drug itself is less risky. However, Vioxx was a HUGE risk. The FDA knew about the size of the risk for almost 5 years. It is a very different story than Seldane.

Lastly, keep it straight that the fact you write an opinion column makes youunqualfied as a media bias whistleblower.

Sincerely,
Jorge M