From what I’ve read, it can take more than ten years to get FDA approval for a new drug. That’s part of the reason why drugs are so expensive. You’ve got to be paying the doctors and researchers and lawyers and such for a long time before you have any chance at making any money. (And as a side note, I think that’s why healthcare is more expensive in the U.S. We’re bearing more of the burden of drug research.)
With something like COVID-19, I’m sure they’re going to fast track the process.
While thinking about all that, it struck me as odd (once again) that drugs go through such rigorous review, while dietary supplements don’t.
Some dietary supplements are just normal stuff. Turmeric and ginger, for example, or something that people have been making tea from for a hundred years. Other supplements might be more questionable. But I think the big issue is the dose. A little ginger is probably good for you. That doesn’t mean that a whole lot of it is. And some of these supplements have way more of the secret super-whatever than you could reasonably get from food.
This was a big topic of conversation in the regulatory publishing world — back when I was in that world, about 15 years ago. And it seems nothing much has changed.
We seem to have overly lax regulation of dietary supplements, and overly restrictive regulation of drugs. And for some reason, it’s stayed that way for a long time.