Responsibility for dangerous products?

Question

How can we make manufactures that intentionally mislead the public about product safety and effectiveness responsible? Our government spends billions on prescription drugs every year, but are we getting what we payed for? Consumers have been intentionally mislead about dangerous drugs like Zoloft, Rispredal, Ritalin, Vioxx, and Prosac. Even when a drug maker is caught red handed they don't pay out more then a small presentage of profits.

I'm talking about companies that neglect to mention facts about the dangerousness of their drugs and even change government policies to sell their drugs over cheaper safer alternatives.
These are web sites about how risperdal is being pushed and on how dangerous it is.
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/2004/risperdal.htm
http://www.ryar.org/risperdal/
http://www.monheit.com/risperdal/case.asp
http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/42/3/30
http://www.onlinejournal.com/health/052705Pringle/052705pringle.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYCD75NvK10
http://www.fda.gov/medwaTCH/SAFETY/2003/risperdal.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkOuMUNVdRo
Here are other victims of drug companies, these are mostly children, but it happens to adults too. When I was at Blackfoot South I met someone who had been arrested in Sandpoint for resisting arrest and someone who had been arrested for eluding in Sandpoint.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqox9gIOljI
http://www.youtube.com

Answer 1

Yes. Everyone should act responsibly around dangerous products.

Answer 2

Obviously, you are on a 'rant' for some reason, and you are also very angry at the 'drug producers' for some reason ... and while that it possibly the reason you asked your question about 'responsibility' I don't see that you are 'able' to accept a 'reasonable' answer ... because it seems to me that you want ALL of the money from suing someone, and not the 'little piddle' you could get if you were only one person in a 'class action' lawsuit. And what do those 'class action' suits do, anyway? People may get some money back, but they usually spend years waiting ... and meanwhile many of these 'bad' drugs are still being prescribed and are doing both 'good' for some people and 'harm' to others. If you want to you could try to 'change' the way we in the U.S. 'deal with' these large companies ... but you had better have more than just your 'rant' before you start your 'campaign' to change things. What would you 'do'? Have you checked EVERYTHING ... how much money was spent on 'research' before the product was made and sold, how much testing was done, considered the 'statistics' of people helped and people harmed ... and WHAT WOULD YOU DO to change the way we 'deal with' them if something is 'found harmful'?

Answer 3

Can you be more specific about how they are being mishandled? These are well known products, but whenever you use a prescription, there are always going to be risks and side-effects. That's why they are NOT over the counter drugs. And, what were they caught red handed for?

Answer 4

You have obviously done a lot of research on your own. What is it that you expect from us, or do you just want us to realize how well informed you are?