A Drug Safety Board Didn't Work, Let's Try a Drug Safety Board

To counter accusations that it failed to monitor painkillers like Vioxx, the FDA is creating a "Drug Safety Board" to monitor drugs once they're on the market. The FDA already has an "Office of Drug Safety" with the same purpose. Critics say the Office version lacks resources. But then, it's slated for millions in increased funding in the 2006 budget. The new version is also supposed to be more "independent," though it's not clear what the board will be independent of. All this comes a day before a much anticipated will-painkillers-give-us-heart-attacks meeting, which is already fielding controversy. The FDA's own chief nanny David Graham has accused other FDA officials of "intimidating" him so he won't present his research to the panel.