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Added March 7th, 2005
Concerns have been raised over the Food and Drug Administration advisory panel that recently deemed Merck’s Vioxx to be placed back on the market, joining two other controversial drugs that have been allowed to remain on sale, Bextra and Celebrex. All three of these drugs were at the center of major controversy last year after being linked to deadly side effects such as heart attacks and strokes.
Vioxx is the latest of the drugs to be given the green light for resale on the US market. However, it has come to light that ten of the thirty-two panel members that voted for these drugs to be allowed back on to the market are actually paid panellists for Pfizer or Merck, the two pharmaceutical giants that manufacture the drugs.
According to the CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest), which is a consumer group, had the ten panellists not voted the only drug that would have been allowed back on to the market would have been celebrex. "By failing to at least disclose those conflicts before the meeting, the FDA has undermined the credibility of the committee's advice," said Merrill Goozner, director of CSPI's integrity in science program.
Iowa Republican Sen. Charles Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, stated that the votes are now tainted because of the outside interests of the ten panel members. However, and FDA spokesman has stated that all panelists’ consulting arrangements are strictly reviewed according to guidelines.