FDA Scientist--Whistleblower--Gets the Chimp_junta Treatment--Honest Opinion Not Welcome Here!

FDA Scientist Says He Faces Retaliation
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — Dr. David J. Graham, the Food and Drug Administration scientist who publicly criticized the agency's approach to drug safety during a Senate hearing last week, said Wednesday that he was facing pressure to transfer to a different job in the FDA — a move he said was in retaliation for his remarks.

Graham was the star witness at a Senate hearing Nov. 18 into the prescription painkiller Vioxx. Its manufacturer, Merck & Co., pulled the drug from the market after research confirmed an increased risk of heart attack among patients taking the medication. Graham testified that the FDA ignored his warnings about the drug and tried to suppress the results of his investigations.

He also asserted that the agency had abandoned its watchdog role in favor of a cozy relationship with the pharmaceutical industry and that the public could no longer expect to be protected from potentially hazardous medications. He identified five drugs that remain on the market despite potentially severe side effects: Crestor, for cholesterol; Meridia, for weight loss; Accutane, for acne; Bextra, for pain; and Serevent, for asthma.