Appropriations bill
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
A resolution to the Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA & Related Agencies Appropriations bill for fiscal 2006 mandates that members of FDA advisory committees disclose conflicts of interest no later than 15 days prior to meetings in order to receive waivers, according to a House conference report issued Oct. 28. Congress approved a measure by Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) in June that would have stopped funding for waivers, thus preventing scientists and doctors with conflicts of interest from participating on committees (1"The Tan Sheet" June 13, 2005, p. 10). The Senate revamped the language in September to approve a less stringent measure; the Senate language serves as the foundation for the conference version, which "says to the FDA...if you want to continue using doctors and scientists with conflicts of interest, go right ahead, just let us know about it," Hinchey said. "That's unacceptable"...