Pharmaceuticals

Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb Joins Pfizer Board After 3-Month Gap

| Importance: 8/10

Pfizer announced that Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who served as FDA Commissioner from May 2017 to April 2019, would join the pharmaceutical giant’s board of directors as an independent member. The appointment came just 85 days after Gottlieb resigned from the FDA, raising immediate concerns about …

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Former CDC Director Julie Gerberding Joins Merck as Vaccine Division President

| Importance: 8/10

Dr. Julie Gerberding, who served as CDC Director from 2002-2009, joined Merck as president of the company’s vaccine division shortly after leaving government service. This move sparked significant controversy because during her tenure at the CDC, Gerberding oversaw the agency’s …

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FDA Whistleblower David Graham Testifies on Vioxx Cover-up Before Senate

| Importance: 9/10

FDA epidemiologist Dr. David Graham delivered explosive testimony before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, declaring that ’the FDA, as currently configured, is incapable of protecting America against another Vioxx. We are virtually defenseless.’ Graham revealed that his study showed …

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FDA Approves OxyContin with Unsubstantiated Safety Claims

| Importance: 9/10

The FDA approved Purdue Pharma’s OxyContin application, including a scientifically unsubstantiated claim that delayed absorption ‘is believed to reduce the abuse liability of a drug.’ This approval occurred without clinical trials to prove the safety claim and marked the beginning …

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