Death By Government: FDA knew of design flaw in scope linked to UCLA superbug

The L.A. Times reports:

A commonly used medical scope linked to a deadly bacterial outbreak at UCLA may be so flawed it cannot be properly cleaned, federal officials conceded Thursday. But they stopped short of recalling the device or outlining any new sterilization procedures.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has known about the potential problems for more than two years, and took action only after The Times reported this week that two patients died in a new superbug outbreak at UCLA's Ronald Reagan Medical Center. At least five other patients have tested positive for the drug-resistant bacteria, and 179 others may have been exposed.

Critics immediately complained about the FDA's failure to act.

"FDA didn't do its job," said Diana Zuckerman, president of the nonprofit National Center for Health Research.

Death by government. The FDA has no function in a free society: they certainly aren't going to keep you safe.