You all know I’ve had my differences with the Wall Street Journal editorial page. But I have to admit that today’s editorial on the withdrawal of Tysabri, a new multiple sclerosis drug, is very good. The Journal argues persuasively that MS patients would be better served by a product relabeling (such as a black box warning) rather than a complete withdrawal. You just aren’t going to see this kind of pro-patient-choice argument in other newspapers (with the possible exception of the Washington Times).

A possible problem with the Journal’s position is that, under current law, drug companies cannot be forced to change their labels. Giving the Food and Drug Administration the authority to require labeling changes, as a top FDA official suggested in congressional testimony yesterday, seems worthwhile. If we want to protect consumers via warning labels rather than product recalls, consumers must have confidence that relabeling will be carried out quickly based on the best available scientific evidence.

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