Editor, Gazette-Journal:

It is time for the FDA to be replaced by something like the Commission E in Germany, where supplements and herbal products are dispensed alongside prescription drugs. This is cost effective and helps patients adhere to their doctor’s advice.

I do have a dog in this fight. The FDA is directly responsible for many patients like myself who have had their prescriptions stopped, blocked or put on back order. It is easy to see the ugly truth and the games the FDA continues to play. Some doctors are paid to write favorable reports on Big Pharma’s drugs and work on their behalf, or they will approve the sale of bad drugs or they will coerce smaller pharmaceutical companies to stop making their drugs like Liotrix, a wonderful drug that treats an underactive thyroid like mine.

The irony of this sordid mess is that the FDA wants you to think they are on your side when they are not. They tell you to call 1-800-FDA-1088 to register side effects of your prescription, and when you do, a recorded message rattles off a couple of websites or you have the option of hearing the message repeated. I was shocked to hear the words, "Sorry you are having trouble, goodbye." With a friend like the FDA on your side, who needs enemies?

Christine Georges

Gloucester Point, Va.