ABSTRACT
One of the key aspects of science that it is largely self-corrective. Drug discovery is typically a long and arduous process. Rarely is it completed faster than several years, although modern Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations allow for fast-track studies under well-defined circumstances. A new drug to treat a disease with few viable treatment options is in the final stages of clinical trials. The program that allowed the FDA to approve this drug for use originates in 1992 and is called Accelerated Approval. Under this program, a drug evaluation can be based on what is called a surrogate endpoint. During an election cycle, a career politician with no science or engineering training rails against the laws that prohibit smoking in restaurants. A company discovers a mixture of chemicals that fresh-picked fruits can be sprayed with that at once inhibits mold growth, prevents attack from insects, and keeps the crop from “getting funky” in the refrigerator.
