If you put food on the table by discovering, developing, investing in, or marketing drugs, then this guy could be bad news (scientologists rejoice). Drug critic and drug-shelfer Dr. Sidney Wolfe has been appointed to a four-year term on the FDA’s Drug Safety and Risk Management Committee, which plays a key role in telling the agency which drugs are safe. In his career, Wolfe has managed to convince the FDA to remove 16 unsafe drugs from the market. Yep, it’s wabbit season for all those unsafe drugs and sleazy regional pharma sales managers. The WSJ is reporting that:

…he has the ear of several health leaders and members of Congress expected to influence FDA policy in the Obama administration. Joshua Sharfstein, a former aide to liberal Rep. Henry Waxman, who is leading the Obama transition team assessing the FDA, worked for Dr. Wolfe years ago.

Dr. Wolfe’s critics say his judgments are just as one-sided as those he likes to blast. A pro-industry blog, Drugwonks.com, calls him the “general secretary of junk science,” citing his group’s call for a strong “black box” warning about blindness as a possible result of taking erectile-dysfunction drugs. Drugwonks says that is too rare a side effect for a black box.

Some patient-advocate groups say that if Dr. Wolfe gets his way, FDA approvals for new drugs will involve more bureaucracy, raise the costs of drug trials and keep life-saving drugs from reaching dying patients…

Apparently his daughter, who works for a big pharma, says this about growing up with Wolfe:

“There was a time in junior high when I wanted to be like other kids – drink Kool-Aid, drive a real car and watch TV…Family activities included protest marches.”

This guy looks serious…how much you wanna bet this guy is totally rolling joints and hittin’ da bong? Here’s the full article from the WSJ Health Blog.

Image from netside and citizen

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