Bad News for Medical Progress
It's the worst regulatory news I've heard in a long time--and it predates the new administration by a half year. Sidney Wolfe, who seemingly never met a new drug or device he thought should be legal, has been named to four-year term on the FDA's Drug Safety and Risk Management Committee. He's got the "consumer" slot. Well, I'm a big-time pharmaceutical consumer, and this man does not speak for me.
His philosophy: "If there were any question, they would take the drug off the market." As he explains in the WSJ video above, the committee he'll serve on goes into action when questions have been raised about a drug. So I guess we know what he'll be thinking about each and every one the panel is supposed to evaluate. (He will maintain his position at Public Citizen while serving on the panel.)
What I really want to know is, Who maneuvered him into this position, and how?