Probe Sought on Charges FDA Discredited Whistleblower

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Probe Sought on Charges FDA Discredited Whistleblower

http://www.healthcentral.com/news/NewsFullText.cfm?id=1505288

 

Last Updated: November 25, 2004

 

The head of the Senate Finance Committee called on the U.S. Department

of Health and Human Services to launch a probe of allegations that the

U.S. Food and Drug Administration went out of its way to discredit a

whistleblower.

 

Tom Devine of the nonprofit Government Accountability Project said that

the FDA insider, David Graham, contacted him some weeks ago about how to

get word to the public about the dangers of the prescription drug Vioxx.

Soon after, Devine received anonymous calls questioning Graham's

credibility, the Washington Post reported.

 

" If these allegations indeed have merit, it appears that these

activities may have been coordinated by FDA management and may have

involved the misuse of government resources, including government

property and time. " Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), the panel's

chairman, wrote in a letter to the department. Grassley is seeking an

investigation by the agency's inspector general.

 

Graham testified before the panel last week that he had raised concerns

early about Vioxx, the painkiller that was withdrawn in September after

it was tied to a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes. He also said

that the safety of five other drugs the FDA approved should be looked at.

 

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