Investigation Sought Into Campaign Against Drug Whistleblower

by Bob Burton [1] — July 21, 2006 - 4:20am

Iowa Republican Senator Charles Grassley [10] has written to the inspector general at the Department of Health and Human Services [11] seeking an investigation into whether the Food and Drug Administration [12] and Merck [13] collaborated to try and discredit a whistleblower. Dr. David J. Graham [14], a FDA drug safety official, publicized the risks associated with Merck's painkiller, Vioxx. In his letter, Grassley cited notes by a Merck employee of a conversation with an FDA official who mentioned an "opportunity to get (the) message out" on Graham and distribute the company's critique of him to journalists. In a statement to Associated Press, Merck wrote that it has "right to express our views when we believe information others have presented is not fair and balanced." In a deposition in a class action case against Merck, Graham stated the material obtained under discovery "actually demonstrates more clearly just how widespread the organized campaign to discredit and smear me was."

Main Source:

Newsday, July 19, 2006 [15]

Links:
[1] http://dev.prwatch.org/users/7/bob-burton
[2] http://dev.prwatch.org/topics/public-relations/crisis-management
[3] http://dev.prwatch.org/topics/us-government/us-congress
[4] http://dev.prwatch.org/topics/ethics
[5] http://dev.prwatch.org/topics/health
[6] http://dev.prwatch.org/topics/pharmaceuticals
[7] http://dev.prwatch.org/topics/science
[8] http://dev.prwatch.org/topics/us-government
[9] http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fdev.prwatch.org%2Fspin%2F2006%2F07%2F4999%2Finvestigation-sought-campaign-against-drug-whistleblower&linkname=Investigation%20Sought%20Into%20Campaign%20Against%20Drug%20Whistleblower
[10] http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Charles_Grassley
[11] http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Department_of_Health_and_Human_Services
[12] http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Food_and_Drug_Administration
[13] http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Merck
[14] http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/David_J._Graham
[15] http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-vioxx-whistleblower,0,3647595.story