“Yesterday’s hearing in Washington on the diabetes drug Avandia and its links to heart attacks underscores the need for a reformed Food and Drug Administration — one that is more committed to protecting patients than to being part of the profit pipeline of the pharmaceutical industry. Avandia is just the latest example of an FDA-approved drug or medical device that has been shown to cause serious adverse effects once on the market. In 2004, Merck had to withdraw its blockbuster arthritis drug Vioxx after studies indicated it was associated with heart attacks and strokes. These FDA failures are putting Congress to the test. It is working on bipartisan legislation that has the potential to make the FDA a more effective watchdog, especially if House and Senate conference committee members agree on a final bill with provisions that break from the agency’s recent track record of rushing approval for suspect medications.” (07/31/07)