The Center for Science in the Public Interest reports that "five of the eleven scientists so far selected to judge the safety of the new multiple sclerosis drug Tysabri have financial ties to either the drug's sponsors, Biogen and Elan Pharmaceuticals, or their competitors."
An advisory committee of the FDA meets today to reconsider Tysabri, which was pulled from the market last year after a handful of patients developed a rare brain disorder. Two permanent committee members disclosed they earned between $10,000 and $50,000 from either Biogen and Elan by serving on their speakers bureaus or consulting. Three other committee members consulted for or sat on the speaker bureaus of direct competitors. The FDA claims it cannot find experts without conflicts of interest to serve on advisory panels, whose advice it usually follows.
Posted by schwitz at March 7, 2006 07:58 AM | TrackBack