Acting FDA commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach is refusing to turn over information on the antibiotic Ketek to Senator Charles Grassley. According to von Eschenbach, giving the senator everything he asked for would make it difficult for the agency to conduct independent investigations. From Grassley's perspective, the FDA is not being compliant with a subpoena. It all adds up to a further delay for von Eschenbach's nomination, which is now being blocked by Grassley, a powerful Republican senator who has often been harshly critical of drug companies as well as the FDA.
- read the Washington Post report on the showdown