The Avandia Saga Continues

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/opinion/15thu1.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=avandia%20saga%20continues&st=cse

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: barry levine 
Date: Fri, Jul 16, 2010 at 12:29 AM
Subject: re: The Avandia Saga Continues
To: letters@nytimes.com


To the Editor:

   As you observe "GlaxoSmithKline...can't be trusted to report adverse clinical results fairly". One can go further. It is no more reasonable to expect any drugmaker to report adverse clinical results fairly than it would be to expect a restauranteur to phone in bacterial contamination in his kitchen.   Just as we sent inspectors into kitchens with thermometers and swabs, we need to turn the Phase III Clinical trials over to the FDA. When the drugmaker is satisfied with the Phase II trials, the protocols and the money should be turned over to the FDA to conduct the Phase III trial. Until we do this, we will replay this saga endlessly.

Barry Levine