How the FDA Works (and What It Can't Do)

Dr. Ben Synth breaks down the complex machinery of America's Food and Drug Administration, revealing how this massive bureaucratic network actually operates behind the scenes. From the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research to the Center for Veterinary Medicine, discover why your breakfast cereal gets more regulatory scrutiny than some face creams promising to reverse aging. This episode explores the decade-long drug approval process, the bizarre jurisdictional splits between agencies (FDA gets cheese pizza, USDA handles pepperoni), and the regulatory twilight zone where supplements make medical-sounding claims without medical-level proof. Learn about the FDA's enforcement limitations, international oversight challenges, and why some products that probably shouldn't exist continue to exist anyway. It's a deep dive into what the agency can and cannot control, revealing the philosophical tensions between innovation and safety that shape every regulatory decision.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI