Survey Finds FDA Scientists Asked to Lie about Results to Promote Agendas

Survey Finds FDA Scientists Asked to Lie about Results to Promote Agendas.
Submitted by BuzzFlash on Fri, 07/21/2006
A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT

A report issued yesterday by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) found that many FDA scientists are asked to lie about their work and to inappropriately alter their research. Pressure often comes from political appointees or commercial interests.The study was based on 997 survey responses from workers, most of whom are in senior positions.

In addition to integrity concerns, several scientists also complained about the agency's inability to meet its responsibilities and about worker conditions in general. "The focus should truly be on protecting public health instead of catering to the interest of industry… FDA leadership should let FDA scientists do the jobs they were hired to do," one scientist wrote.

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Highlights from the study:

18% were asked to inappropriately exclude or alter technical information or conclusions for non-scientific reasons
61% knew of cases when political appointees inappropriately injected themselves into FDA determinations
60% knew of cases where commercial interests intervened or attempted to inappropriately intervene
20% were asked to provide misleading information to the public, media, or government officials
40% can't publicly express concerns without fear of retaliation

http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/scientific_integrity/FDA-Survey-Brochure.pdf
http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/alerts/87

What next? Lobbyists giving brib...er, campaign contributions to politicians to influence their votes?!?

Naaah. Not in 'Murika.

fabricate and invent facts to help their agenda, would they? I always thought they wer as pure as wind driven snow and as innocent as a newborn baby.

Why I, as a librarian who teaches college students about evaluating Web information, no longer recommend federal Web sites as trusted information sources. And as a former editor for federal research agencies, this reinforces my decision to leave prior to the 2000 election (which we now know was a selection).

This sort of interference began almost as soon as the Bushistas got to DC, with the purging of all information on the Education Department Web site that did not adhere with the No Child Left Behind effort. It's continued in other agencies as well, and other fronts (e.g., the closing of almost all the EPA libraries and serious cuts to HHS grant funding).

A ton of money to be made from an analgesic marketed for chronic arthritis pain that didn't cause gastro side effects and gave superior relief. Problem was - the FDA turned a blind eye to the cardiovascular problems that were evident in trials and pushed it through. Bought off by Merck to do so - maybe. I have no proof of this of course, but working with big pharma for years - that's what I'd say happened.

One of the most widely prescribed meds on the planet. They have everyone chanting their mantra: check your cholesterol, check your cholesterol.... and yet the body makes cholesterol and for good reason.

Lets back up. What is cholesterol?
Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance found in all parts of the body. This includes the nervous system, skin, muscle, liver, intestines, and heart. It is made by the body and also obtained from animal products in the diet.

What does it do?
Cholesterol is manufactured in the liver for normal body functions, including the production of hormones, bile acid, and vitamin D. It is transported in the blood to be used by all parts of the body.

So why would anyone want to lower the amount that your body is producing/using? The simple answer seems to be to make money. The cholesterol hysteria says that certain amounts of cholesterol in your blood (which by the way can fluctuate quite a bit from hour to hour) are "dangerous" and can lead to CHD and yet there is no good evidence for correlation or causation. It may be that they picked the 200mg/dl level BECAUSE half the population is above it. Cha-ching!

I'm so glad someone brought up the cholesterol thing! I believe what's happening in the arteries has to do with the trans fat/hydrogenated oils in the everyday diet! That stuff perforates the vessels, and makes it to where the edges from the little holes in there keep the fats from moving around like they should.

After Reading Kevin Trudeau's book..."Cures they don'twant you to know about", I'm convinced that the Drug companies are part of the asses of evil! I never plan to be on ANY prescription drug,ever!

I haven't done enough of my own research (review of published studies) to conclude that cholesterol is no factor at all in heart disease but I am certain that all of the following are far far better indicators than LDL levels will ever be:
- diabetes
- smoking
- hypertension
- excess weight

Here btw is the Colpo paper (pdf):
http://www.jpands.org/vol10no3/colpo.pdf