Under Hamburg, FDA Cozied Up to Industries It Regulates, Protected Corporations More Than Patients
Statement of Dr. Michael Carome, Director, Public Citizen’s Health Research Group
The pending resignation of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg will end a six-year period of weak and ineffective leadership at one of the most important public health agencies in the country.
Throughout Hamburg’s tenure, the FDA has grown even more cozy with the industries that it regulates. Too often, the FDA has succumbed to industry and political pressures, implementing policies and taking actions that tilt too far toward the bottom-line interests of pharmaceutical and medical device companies, and away from protecting public health. Transparency of agency decision-making also has suffered with Hamburg at the helm.
The agency needs a leader in the mold of Dr. David Kessler, someone who will be an aggressive, proactive crusader focused on protecting consumers and patients from medical products that are unsafe or ineffective.
February 8, 2015 @ 1:25 pm
They are not the only government agency doing this thanks to the revolving door of corporate employees working in the “watch dog” agencies.
February 8, 2015 @ 8:24 pm
This is such an important part of the conversations we should be having about what and who is covered and how it is covered in the Health Care Industry. YES on a leader like Dr. David Kessler who continues to do the work to protect “We The People”. So sad it took six years to get rid of Hamburg – she did a lot of damage. The new pain killer that everybody said not to approve will cause great harm Thank you Public Citizen for being the ethical watchdogs!