'FDA Centennial Anthem' won't be mistaken for 'The Star-Spangled Banner.' No bombs are bursting in air; instead, goods are made effective, safe and pure. Workers at the Food and Drug Administration are singing a new 126-word ode at awards ceremonies, picnics and commemorative events to mark the regulatory agency's centennial. 'Now in this proud hour, a vibrant vision thrives,' one line says. Not everyone is singing along. The anthem might be true to the FDA's roots in the Progressive Era of Theodore Roosevelt, but nowhere in its four stanzas of lofty sentiment does it acknowledge FDA setbacks, such as the handling of Vioxx, a drug pulled from the market after it was linked to heart attacks. (Washington Post, Monday)

It brings a lump to the throat.

FEE Timely Classic
The FDA Cannot Be Reformed (pdf) by Arthur E. Foulkes