The FDA Should Stop Blocking New Treatments From Patients
Pills Tom Varco, Wikimedia Commons Cataracts, a clouding of the lenses in the eyes, affect some 20 million Americans over the age of 40. Doctors can implant synthetic lenses to fix them, but they have to estimate the right focal power before surgery, so many patients still need corrective lenses afterward. A company called Calhoun Vision invented a synthetic lens that can be adjusted after the eye has healed, using an ultraviolet laser. It has been on sale in Europe for six years, but patients can’t get it in the U.S. Sadly, that’s hardly uncommon. Scores of medical innovations approved abroad are not available here. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) needs to stop delaying access to medical devices. Part of the problem is that unlike in Europe, which requires devices to be proved safe, the U.S. requires any...