Rep. DeLauro on conflicts
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
FDA should consult the National Institutes of Health on how to find "fully qualified professional advisors who give the agency the best unbiased advice possible...free of conflict or any appearance thereof," Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said Feb. 16 during a hearing on FY 2007 appropriations. Last year's FDA appropriations bill included an amendment requiring public disclosure of panel member conflicts of interest. Since its passage on Oct. 28, 2005, FDA has allowed 55 conflict-of-interest waivers - "a heck of a lot of waivers," DeLauro opined. She suggested that full disclosure of advisory committee conflicts of interest is still not a reality...