Was Painkiller FDA Panel Stacked?

Almost a third of the members of a government panel that voted last week to let the pain pills Celebrex, Bextra and Vioxx stay on the market recently consulted for the makers of the drugs. Without the votes of those 10 members, the committee would have voted 12 to 8 for Bextra's withdrawal and 14 to 8 against Vioxx.

According to the report, disclosures in medical journals and other public records show that ten of the 32 panel members have done some work for Merck, the maker of Vioxx; Pfizer, the maker of Celebrex and Bextra; or Novartis, which is applying to sell Prexige, a similar type of medication.

Without the votes of those 10 members, the committee would have voted 12 to 8 that Bextra should be withdrawn and 14 to 8 that Vioxx should not return to the market. The 10 advisers with company ties voted 9 to 1 to keep Bextra on the market and 9 to 1 for Vioxx's return.

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