Critics, including watchdog and physician groups, have expressed
grave concern over a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposal to
relax conflict-of-interest rules governing advisory panels. FDA
officials, including Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, have complained
conflict-of-interest rules have hampered the agency’s ability to find
qualified experts, but groups such as the Project on Government
Oversight (POGO) say they are needed. “These rules do create an
additional hurdle, but that is exactly the point,” wrote POGO’s Danielle
Brian in a letter to the commissioner. “We want expert advice that is
as free as possible from the influence of industry.”
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