• Government
  • Legislation
  • False Claims
  • Corporate
    • Dodd-Frank
    • IRS & Tax
    • SEC
    • Sarbanes-Oxley
  • OSHA
  • Environment
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
Whistleblower Network News
The Truth at Any Cost.
Whistleblower Network News
No Result
View All Result
Home News

FDA whistleblower Dr. David Graham to testify on Avandia today

WNN StaffbyWNN Staff
July 13, 2010
in News, Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblowers
Reading Time: 3min read
0
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInEmail

David J. Graham, M.D., M.P.H., is a drug safety whistleblower working at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). On November 18, 2004, Dr. Graham testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance about Merck’s withdrawal of the popular anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx. He testified that FDA policies could not protect the public from drugs with unacceptable risks. “I would argue that the FDA, as currently configured, is incapable of protecting America against another Vioxx. We are virtually defenseless.” His words ring prophetic today as the FDA’s Joint Meeting of the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee convenes at the Hilton Hotel in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Dr. Graham is scheduled to speak at 3:00 pm today on “Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction, Stroke, Heart Failure, and Death in Elderly Medicare Patients Treated with Rosiglitazone [Avandia] or Pioglitazone.” Dr. Graham and one of his FDA colleagues, Kate Gelperin, have previously called for the popular diabetes drug Avandia to be pulled from the market. Their study of the drug found possible evidence of an increased incidence of mortality.

Dr. Graham’s research has helped protect the public from other unsafe drugs, including Omniflox an antibiotic, Rezulin, a diabetes treatment, Fen-Phen and Redux, weight-loss drugs, and phenylpropanolamine, an over-the-counter decongestant, Lotronex, Baycol, Seldane, and Propulsid.

A story in today’s New York Times discloses that Avandia’s maker, GlaxoSmithKline, knew about Avandia’s heart attack dangers since 1999. Coincidentally, the Los Angeles Times is reporting today that GlaxoSmithKline ill pay $460 million to settle claims by Avandia victims. The LA Times reports that this is good news as the market had anticipated that the company would suffer $6 billion in losses from Avandia. Troy Media is reporting today VIOXX caused 140,000 heart attacks that killed 60,000 people. It adds:

[F]ormer FDA medical reviewer Dr. David B. Ross stated, “industry has become FDA’s client. People at FDA know that they have to be careful about upsetting industry” and that “even if a product doesn’t work, . . . there is pressure on managers that gets transmitted down to reviewers to find some way of approving it.” Former FDA medical reviewer Dr. Robert L. Misbin, now deceased, likewise observed: “One of my superiors said something . . . I have never forgotten, that we have to maintain good relations with the drug companies because they are our customers.” In each case, these career government scientists spoke out, aware that doing so invited agency retaliation; FDA has a long, sordid history of retaliating against whistle-blowers.

I must wonder if Avandia really is another VIOXX. I would hope that another 60,000 deaths would be enough to get the U.S. Senate to pass meaningful protections for federal employee whistleblowers.

By the way, I have now learned that Dr. Misbin is not deceased. Troy Media erred both in reporting that his is “former FDA” and “now deceased.” I received an email from him that you can read in the comments to this blog entry.

Protect Yourself: Purchase the New Whistleblower Handbook Protect Yourself: Purchase the New Whistleblower Handbook Protect Yourself: Purchase the New Whistleblower Handbook
Tags: FDAPharmaceuticals
WNN Staff

WNN Staff

Write a Letter to The Editor.

Most Popular

Important Alert for Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking NGOs

SDG #16 Through the Lens of Wildlife Crimes 

Two SEC Whistleblowers Receive Over $500,000

WNN Hosts Free Webinar Celebrating Anniversary of False Claims Act

Whistleblower Advocates Launch GoFundMe Campaign for Fishrot Whistleblower Jóhannes Stefánsson

Jóhannes Stefánsson

Whistleblower Poll

Increased Whistleblower Protections
Legislation

Candidate’s Position on Increased Whistleblower Protections Influences 44% of Likely Voters

byAna Popovich
October 6, 2020

Protect Yourself: Buy the New Whistleblower Handbook Protect Yourself: Buy the New Whistleblower Handbook Protect Yourself: Buy the New Whistleblower Handbook
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

STAY INFORMED. Sign up for daily whistleblower email and social notifications from the Whistleblower Network News.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Qui Tam

  • Dodd-Frank
  • IRS & Tax
  • SEC
  • Foreign Corruption
  • False Claims-Qui Tam

Retaliation

  • OSHA
  • Sarbanes-Oxley

Government

  • Government
  • Intelligence
  • Legislation
  • Veterans

Features

  • Whistleblower of the Week
  • Editorial
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Opinion

Resources

  • FAQs
  • National Whistleblower Day
  • National Whistleblower Center
  • Whistleblower Handbook
Whistleblower Network News

Whistleblower Network News is an independent online newspaper providing our readers with up-to-date information on whistleblowing. Our goal is to be the best source of information on important qui tam, anti-corruption, compliance, and whistleblower law developments. 

Submit an Article
  • ABOUT
  • ADVERTISE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • TERMS OF USE
  • CAREERS
  • CONTACT

Copyright © 2021, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

This Newspaper/Web Site is made available by the lawyer or law firm publisher for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide specific legal advice. By using this website, you understand that there is no attorney-client relationship between you and the Newspaper/Web Site publisher. The Newspaper/Web Site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney in your state.

No Result
View All Result
  • Government
  • Legislation
  • False Claims
  • Corporate
    • Dodd-Frank
    • IRS & Tax
    • SEC
    • Sarbanes-Oxley
  • OSHA
  • Environment
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Login

Copyright © 2020, Whistleblower Network News. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign In with Facebook
Sign In with Google
OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Sign Up with Facebook
Sign Up with Google
OR

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Go to mobile version