FDA advisory panels often included reps tied to pharma-funded groups

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  Nearly 40% of FDA advisory committee meetings over a recent 20-year period included a patient or consumer representative with active ties to an advocacy group funded by pharmaceutical companies.

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  For several committees, the share of meetings with such representatives exceeded 50%.

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  More than one in 10 meetings included a representative affiliated with an organization funded by the drugmaker whose medicine was under review.

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  Most of these organizational ties were not disclosed at the meetings.

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  The analysis said FDA policies on conflicts of interest for patient and consumer representatives are less developed than policies for scientific committee members.

Who

Patient and consumer representatives on FDA advisory committees.

What

An analysis found that many had ties to advocacy groups funded by pharmaceutical companies, and that most of these ties were not disclosed.

When

Over a recent 20-year period; the specific years are not stated.

Where

FDA advisory committee meetings. The analysis was published in Health Affairs Scholar.

Why

The analysis examined representatives’ ties to industry-funded groups and raised questions about voting behavior.

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