Woodcock defends FDA interactions with drug sponsors

Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock has rejected a request to erect a firewall between agency staff who interact with drug companies during the development process and officials who review marketing submissions. Limiting interactions between FDA staff and sponsors would slow drug development and contradict explicit instructions from Congress, Woodcock stated.

The request to prevent review staff from interacting with sponsors was made in a Jan. 28 letter from Michael Carome, director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group. ...