How can drugs like Ingrezza be allowed to be prescribed if the way they work isn’t understood? Shouldn’t we understand how a drug works before the FDA clears it for use?

Question

How can drugs like Ingrezza be allowed to be prescribed if the way they work isn’t understood? Shouldn’t we understand how a drug works before the FDA clears it for use?

In: Other

Answer 1

We don’t know how a lot of drugs work, but that doesn’t mean they don’t. Most trials are done to check for adverse side-effects, rather than to determine the exact chemical pathways used. You don’t know exactly how your iPhone works, but you can still use it to accomplish your goals. Anesthetics used in surgery are famously bizarre and not very well understood at all, but they generally work very well the vast majority of the time. If we waited to have 100% understanding on all drugs, virtually none would be approved. Even Asprin boggles are minds in some applications.