Amid the furor involving pain drugs, it may be of interest to ponder the theoretical problem of the Food and Drug Administration prematurely deciding to ban a drug whose benefits outweigh its risks. But we must confront the reality that during the past 10 years, there is overwhelming evidence that the FDA repeatedly delayed withdrawing many drugs long after clear, unequivocal evidence of risks that outweighed any demonstrable benefits.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-12-26-our-view_x.htm