July 16th, 2010
Concerns that Tobacco Advisory Panel Unduly Influenced by Agency
WASHINGTON, July 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The watchdog group Center for Regulatory Effectiveness (CRE) today urged the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to assure that advice provided by a tobacco advisory committee on menthol cigarettes is “independent and not influenced by agency staff” in accordance with federal law.
Jim Tozzi, a member of the Board of Advisors of the CRE, said that the Federal Advisory Committee Act includes provisions to ensure that committee recommendations are not unduly influenced by the agency. “I do not make this recommendation in an insular setting,” Tozzi said. “I have participated in advisory committee activities for nearly two decades and I have never worked off a draft report prepared by a federal agency.”
July 13th, 2010
July 13 (Bloomberg) — Lorillard Inc., the largest U.S. maker of menthol cigarettes, is urging regulators to review testimony by some government scientists indicating the mint flavor makes cigarettes more harmful.
The Food and Drug Administration began examining the health impact of menthol in cigarettes in March, and a new round of hearings on the matter begins this week.
“We are looking for accuracy along the way,” William True, Lorillard’s senior vice president of research and development, said yesterday in an interview. “There will be much more this week in terms of quantifiable, measurable science.”
June 24th, 2010
By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
At least four groups are now questioning the credibility of a federal advisory panel created to study tobacco product safety, challenging two members with financial ties to drug firms that make smoking cessation products. At issue: Will the duo push to ban menthol ciggys and favor smokeless products?
The issue hit this week when the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, filed a complaint against the FDA’s tobacco advisory panel for conflicts of interest since they have voting members who consult for pharmaceutical companies that work on nicotine delivery products to quit smoking.
June 14th, 2010
Tobacco Product Constituents Subcommittee of the Tobacco
Products Scientific Advisory Committee.
Date and Time: The meeting will be held on July 7, 2010, from 8:30 a.m. to 5
p.m. and on July 8, 2010, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
See attachment
TPSAC Subcommitte July