Washington – Is The FDA An Honest Organization?

Washington – The prominent cardiologist sounding alarms about the diabetes drug Avandia as we reported here, claims he is the target of a smear campaign organized by a top Food and Drug Administration (FDA) spokesman.

Dr. Steven Nissen, chairman of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, showed ABC News an e-mail sent to several health reporters by Douglas Arbesfeld, a senior communications consultant to the FDA.

Dangerous Cures? Drug Safety QuestionsGlaxo’s Avandia prescriptions slump after studyGlaxo’s Avandia study in jeopardy: officialDiabetes Drug Linked to Heart Attacks
In the e-mail, entitled “What are St. Steven’s feet made of? Clay, perhaps?,” Arbesfeld forwarded to reporters a critical news article which included an anonymous blog accusing Nissen of playing favorites among drug companies. [abcnews]