Political influence and accountability

A distinction should be made between the different levels of political influence operating at different levels of policy. At the macro level, the body politic is regarded as representative of the public or the electorate. Hence, politics is a means by which society decides which regulatory direction is ethically acceptable, socially preferable, economically beneficial and scientifically reliable. From the perspective of representative democracy, therefore, it is desirable for politics to determine the overall legal frameworks within which dmgs are regulated. But at the micro level, where decisions are made which apply those legal frameworks to specific cases, it is not desirable for politics to exert influence on individual cases. 

In Malaysia, interference from the outside, political or otherwise, regarding decisions of the regulatory authority is rare. A recent exception was the debate over the registration of sildenafil (Viagra ), for the treatment of erectile dysfianction. 

In the Netherlands, political interests are more concerned with the reimbursement system than with traditional dmg regulatory functions, such as registration and inspection. 

At the micro level, all the country reports maintained that political pressure has little influence, if any, on dmg regulatory decisions. 

Regulation imposes restrictions upon the behaviour of certain target groups in a society, for the public good. Although the public good is a value that all societies cherish, it is not the only value which they pursue. Public policies must seek to balance collective and individual interests. Regulatory policies of all kinds are, therefore, almost always 

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