Last week the below article was the subject of one of my tweets regarding lack of ethics and disclosure on part of FDA staff.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203436904577153160177537828.html?mod=WSJ_article_forsub
“FDA advisers, in a recent vote, said the benefits of four popular Bayer AG birth-control pills outweigh the blood-clot risk. What the FDA didn’t disclose is that three of the advisers have had ties to Bayer, serving as consultants, speakers or researchers.”
What the article did not cite, was weather or not any of these Bayer-compensated-FDA-panel members also approved the [tax payer] funds that made this study possible.
I’m not a fan of compulsory and mandatory healthcare for all, but Obama’s proposed rule that drug companies publicly list all payments to doctors [today's NYTimes] is a welcome disclosure for the public and long practiced elsewhere- Wall Street, yes that industry of favored scorn by democrats and republicans alike, gets it right: “Your Broker, Inc. makes a market in this stock”. Up front and in writing, the customer knows if the broker has a relationship or interest in the underlying security, whether serving as the seller or buyer, or merely facilitating the sale between parties- truly the ultimate ‘Buyer beware’ policy. Adoption of this practice is certainly a step in the right direction for the medical field, but here’s what else needs clarification:
1) Will Obama’s public this list also include/ apply to government employees like those FDA staff that approved Bayer’s product above?
2) Does this disclosure of conflict-of-interest also apply to FDA and other government agency staff when awarding grants to companies?
That would make many a physician recuse himself/herself from not only voting on the approval of drugs, but also in awarding [tax payer funded] contracts to companies that have compensated them, as this blurs the line between objective Panel reviewer and lobbyist. Id appreciated it if someone from the Obama Administration would reply to these questions- ethics can only be achieved with accountability and transparency for all.