Medicine is no place to cut corners

The American medical system is a far cry from true laissez-faire economics, but free-market bright spots certainly exist. Efforts to elevate health savings accounts and expand direct primary care are helping patients sidestep the quasi-government maze Obamacare helped to create. Private drugmakers, meanwhile, continue to push the boundaries of medicine.Personalized vaccines to prevent skin cancer are showing promise. Other companies are making breakthroughs in lung disease research, and artificial intelligence is quickening oncology innovations. Obesity rates are finally declining as GLP-1 makers compete for market share, a dynamic that renders treatments more accessible and affordable.But Washington should be careful not to overcorrect toward “wild west medicine” at the expense of America’s rigorous safety standards. Giving the free market running room to develop and deliver cutting-edge medicines is encouraged. Peddling unproven products behind pharmacy counters is not. On this front, the current administration is floating an unnerving idea. The Department of Health and Human Services is considering loosening guardrails for peptides. These compounds have become popular in the MAHA movement, supposedly helping people recover from injuries, address pain, or improve skin health, among other use cases. Peptides are not inherently problematic and can have legitimate medical applications; in fact, that’s what drugmakers have used to fight America’s obesity epidemic (see GLP-1 innovations above).The sticking point, as Reuters reports, is that the specific peptides in question “have not been approved by the FDA as safe or effective.” That doesn’t mean these products won’t eventually prove their medical value. But they have yet to clear the rigorous testing and review protocols Americans have come to expect from FDA-endorsed treatments, therapies, and vaccines.Lowering the bar is no substitute for meeting it.If student letter grades don’t pass muster, should schools relax their standards to boost graduation numbers? Grade inflation reflects the same backward thinking, leaving young adults ill-prepared for the next stage of life. Even Harvard University — a haven of student coddling — recognizes the downsides, as faculty voted earlier this year to limit the number of “A” grades awarded to undergraduates.The White House’s plan regarding peptides could reportedly be narrow in scope, meaning pharmacies could only sell these products temporarily. But cutting corners, even for a limited period of time, sets a poor precedent. Should Ford be allowed to manufacture cars without seatbelts for the next year?RFK JR. IS MAKING FREE SPEECH HEALTHY AGAINConsumers benefit most when a wide selection of products drives competition and keeps prices in check. The administration’s instinct to expand access to peptides is therefore understandable. But medicine is no ordinary consumer product, and greater choice should never come at the expense of quality or safety. Pharmaceuticals warrant a higher level of regulatory scrutiny than, say, shoes or smartphones.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is the world’s gold standard for regulating the safety, quality, and effectiveness of medicine. As free markets incentivize the next wave of medical miracles, that bar should remain high.Tom Price served as the 23rd Secretary of Health and Human Services and is a former Republican member of Congress from Georgia.