FDA advisor conflicts and voting weakly linked
A study in April of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committees found that many voting members had financial ties to drug companies, but their influence did not change the outcomes of decisions. The FDA convenes panels of outside experts to make recommendations on whether a drug or device should be approved. Since 2002, the agency has required from its advisory committees more detailed disclosure of financial conflicts. At 73% of the meetings between 2001 and 2004, at least one voting member disclosed a conflict of interest, according to the study (JAMA 295, 1921, 2006). The researchers, who are part of the consumer group Public Citizen's Health Research Group in Washington, DC, found a 'weak' relationship between financial conflicts and voting behavior. Only 1% of committee members who disclosed conflicts were dismissed from the meetings. Finding experts without some kind of financial tie is difficult, say analysts. The most knowledgeable scientists are frequently paid to be consultants for companies or speakers at conferences. “What's the point of being an expert without getting any of those perks?” says Chris Milne at the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development in Boston. “This study says the system is working as well as it can.” EW
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