Wednesday, March 02, 2005

The FDA Backtracks

For months, the FDA repeated that it did nothing wrong in regulating Vioxx. Now, one of their top honchos had cracked under pressure and said there were "lapses."

The anti-arthritis drug's maker pulled it from the market when it turned out the pill had a link to heart attacks. The Senate was critical of charges that the FDA pressured scientists to supress evidence and cover up those "lapses."

The FDA's Dr Sandra Kweder admited to FDA problems in testimony before the Senate. She also said it'd be good if the agency could order new label changes when a problem like Vioxx crops up. (NYT)

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