The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing last week entitled, “Should FDA Drug and Medical Device Regulation Bar State Liability Claims?” Chairman Waxman’s opening statement opined that preemption was a “radical legal doctrine” being advocated by the pharmaceutical and device industries and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Patients allegedly injured by defective drugs and medical devices would no longer have the ability to seek compensation. “The result is that one of the most powerful incentives for safety – the threat of liability – would vanish.”  Waxman and other Democrats are of the view that FDA approval of drugs and medical devices before they are marketed “does not necessarily guarantee safety.”

Of course, the politicos’ simplistic view ignores the fundamental reality that prescription products are typically unavoidably unsafe. Nothing guarantees complete safety.  They are complex products that carry risks, at least to some users. That is why the FDA weighs the risks and benefits for an indicated population, and a learned intermediary – doctor – is needed to obtain the product, someone who can balance the risks with the benefits for the particular patient.

The hearing follows on the Supreme Court decision in Riegel v. Medtronic,128 S. Ct. 999 (2008), and in anticipation of the Court’s decision in Levine v. Wyeth.

The witnesses included some leading opponents of preemption, from actor Dennis Quaid (who has a suit against Baxter), former FDA official David Kessler, and an editor from the New England Journal of Medicine (who editorializes against preemption). No one from the industry was scheduled to appear, apparently. The only two witnesses in favor of preemption were buried in later witness panels.  This led Congressman Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) to note that the hearing was more about plaintiff lawyers than public health.

Most of the press coverage focused on Quaid (MassTortDefense liked him in “The Rookie”), who urged Congress on Wednesday to preserve patients’ rights to sue drug makers for injuries, and recounted the story of his newborn twins’ medical scare – which apparently resulted from human error at the hospital and was unrelated to the safety and efficacy of Baxter’s product. “I believe if preemption of lawsuits is allowed to prevail, it will basically make all of us, the public, uninformed and uncompensated lab rats,” Quaid said.

The FDA currently and correctly believes that the important decisions it makes about the safety, efficacy and labeling of medical products should not be second-guessed by state court juries.  But should the Supreme Court recognize the role of preemption in the Levine case, this is yet another sign that some in Congress may seek to take action to overturn any ruling in favor of the doctrine.