This is a linkpost for https://maximumprogress.substack.com/p/contra-scott-on-abolishing-the-fda

Scott Alexander's recent post on the FDA raises the average level of discourse on the subject. He starts from the premise that the FDA deserves destruction but cautions against rash action. No political slogan can be implemented without clarification and “Abolish the FDA” is no different, but Scott's objections aren’t strong reasons to stop short of a policy implementation that still retains the spirit behind the slogan.

Scott's preferred proposal is to essentially keep the authority and structure of the FDA the same but expand the definition of supplements and experimental drugs. This way, fewer drugs are illegal but there aren’t big ripple effects on the prescription and health insurance systems that we have to worry about.

The more hardline libertarian proposal is to restrict the FDA's mandatory authority to labeling and make their efficacy testing completely non-binding. This would turn the FDA into [...]

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Outline:

(01:21) Are we also eliminating the concept of prescription medication?

(04:20) How do we deal with the fact that many doctors are dumb?

(07:53) How will the smart doctors get the data they need?

(08:51) What would insurance cover?

(10:18) What would a practical abolish-the-FDA\-lite policy proposal look like?

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First published:
December 15th, 2023

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/nEGgkNgNPpL7M3BqA/contra-scott-on-abolishing-the-fda

Linkpost URL:
https://maximumprogress.substack.com/p/contra-scott-on-abolishing-the-fda

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

[Linkpost] “Contra Scott on Abolishing the FDA” by Maxwell Tabarrok

LessWrong (30+ Karma)