Released: July 21, 2006

FDA scientists blast drug agency’s priorities

Source: Jonathan D. Rockoff, Baltimore Sun

More than a third of Food and Drug Administration scientists who responded to a survey said agency officials cared more about speeding new drugs and medical devices to market than assuring they are safe, and about the same number said the agency wasn’t adequately protecting the public health, according to results released Thursday by an advocacy group.

The findings, in a survey by the Union of Concerned Scientists, were the latest criticisms of the FDA’s integrity. Whistle-blowers, members of Congress and interest groups have for several years attacked the agency, saying it has been weakened by industry and political influence at the expense of sound science and the public health.

Fifteen percent of the 997 FDA scientists who answered the questionnaire said they were asked to keep information out of agency documents or alter their conclusions for nonscientific reasons. Nearly 1 in 3 said the FDA doesn’t routinely provide complete and accurate information to the public. And 37 percent said the agency’s leadership wasn’t as committed to product safety as to approving products for sale.

“Scientists are not allowed to do their jobs,” said Francesca Grifo, senior scientist and director of the Scientific Integrity Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “And even if they are allowed to do their jobs, their research is being ignored.”

FDA spokeswoman Susan Bro sharply disputed the findings, criticizing the “unscientific rigor” of the survey and stressing that the agency was committed to protecting the public health.

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