[extropy-chat] Allowing drug companies to market enhancements

[Joseph Bloch]

Apologies for cross-posting...

Currently, the FDA forbids drug manufacturers from touting the potential 
"non-medical" (i.e., enhancement-related) benefits of their products. 
This results in there being little incentive for pharmaceutical 
companies to run clinical trials of enhancement-related effects of 
drugs, which in turn is potentially dangerous since people seeking 
enhancement effects have no clear guidelines in terms of dosages, etc.

Right now, if a company comes up with an Alzheimers' drug that also 
helps memory in healthy people, that second effect can't be advertised, 
and won't be fully investigated by the company because of it.

I'm kicking around an idea to set up an effort to lobby the FDA to 
change this pratice, allowing pharmaceutical companies to market their 
products for non-medical uses. In essence, that same drug company could 
advertise its new drug as being effective for memory enhancement, 
assuming it went through clinical trials equivalent to those necessary 
to prove its effectiveness in treating disease.

I'm not advocating cutting any safety corners; exactly the opposite. 
Just give drug companies the opportunity to market their products for 
uses other than merely treating disease; force them to perform rigorous 
clinical trials, but let them publish guidelines for safe use. Let them 
help us be "better than well".

My question is, would you support such an effort? Any ideas as to how to 
go about it most effectively?

Joseph

Enhance your body "beyond well" and your mind "beyond normal": 
http://www.humanenhancement.com
New Jersey Transhumanist Association: http://www.goldenfuture.net/njta
PostHumanity Rising: http://transhumanist.blogspot.com/