Sidney Wolfe: Consumer Crusader, Fearless FDA Foe, Passes On at 86

Sidney Wolfe, a relentless consumer activist and long-time FDA foe, has died at the age of 86 after a long battle with heart disease. Wolfe was well-known for his fight against dangerous drugs and lack of government regulation in the health care industry, and for his work as the cofounder and director of the Public Citizen Health Research Group, a nonprofit organization that advocates for health and safety standards. Throughout his career, Wolfe was a frequent critic of the FDA and its processes, particularly when it came to drugs. He frequently argued that the FDA was too slow to react to warnings about a drug’s safety or efficacy, too quick to approve drugs with potential dangerous side effects, or too lax in enforcing safety regulations. He also argued that many drugs on the market were ineffective, or even dangerous, and that the FDA was not doing enough to protect the public. Wolfe made a particular impact in the 1970s and 1980s, when he was part of a group that successfully pushed for the Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act, which allowed for generic versions of brand name drugs to enter the market and be available to consumers at a much lower cost. His legacy as a consumer activist will live on. Wolfe was an outspoken critic of the FDA and other government agencies that allow for dangerous drugs to be approved and sold. He will be remembered as someone who fought tirelessly for the safety of consumers and who had a lasting impact on the health care industry.