Read the passage below and then answer the following questions.

In the United States, companies developing new medications must run tests to prove the medications are safe before selling them. These tests are called clinical trials. After a company tests a new medication, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must then approve it. The FDA is a government agency that is responsible for making sure medications are safe to use, effective, and secure from tampering.

Before determining whether medications are ready to be approved for use by the public, the FDA reviews the company's evidence about the chemicals in the medication, the side effects, and the medication's ability to impact the condition it is designed to treat. The FDA also decides whether a medication should be sold with or without a doctor's prescription.