To the editor:
This is in reference to "The tragedy of Diana Levine" (Commentary, March 12), which argues that drug companies that receive Food and Drug Administration approval for their products should be given total immunity from lawsuits.
These views have been soundly rejected by the New England Journal of Medicine, current and former FDA officials and, most recently, a solid majority of the U.S. Supreme Court.
From peanuts to pacemakers, the FDA has repeatedly proven itself incapable of keeping Americans safe on its own. In fact the agency itself has long maintained that lawsuits provide an additional and important layer of consumer protection that complements its crucial regulatory work.
ANDY HOFFMAN
Attorney and policy analyst
Center for Justice & Democracy
New York, N.Y.
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