A study released by the Union of Concerned Scientists has found that about 15 percent of FDA staffers polled say they've been "asked to… inappropriately exclude or alter technical information or conclusions in an FDA scientific document." In addition, 39 percent of respondents stated that the FDA wasn't "acting effectively to protect public health." The questionnaire was sent to almost 6,000 FDA workers and 997 responded.
The survey underscores critics concerns that the science isn't the only factor that informs the FDA's decisions. The agency has taken heat for the Vioxx debacle, and a head women's health official resigned in protest to the way politics interfered with science in the FDA's handling of Plan B, a controversial morning-after contraceptive. A spokeswoman for the FDA dismissed the poll, saying it was unscientific and asked leading questions.
- check out this San Francisco Chronicle article [1]
Links:
[1] http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/07/21/MNGEHK357R1.DTL