FDA scientist reports reprisal
Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON — Dr. David Graham, the Food and Drug Administration scientist who publicly criticized the agency’s approach to drug safety during a c o n gressional hearing last week, said W e d n e s d a y that he was facing pressure to transfer to a different job in the FDA — a move that he said was in retaliation for his remarks.
‘‘What they want to do is move me out of drug safety into the office of the commissioner, where I will basically be exiled and won’t be able to do drug research,’’ Graham said in an interview. ‘‘It’s a reprisal.’’
Graham was the star witness at a Nov. 18 Senate hearing into the prescription painkiller Vioxx. Graham testified that the FDA ignored his warnings about the drug and attempted to suppress the results of his investigations.
He also asserted that the agency has abandoned its watchdog role in favor of a cozy relationship with the drug industry and that the public can no longer expect to be protected from potentially hazardous medications.
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