NEWS: FDA Chief Resigns

Lester Crawford has resigned as FDA Commissioner only two months after being 'officially' elevated to a position he held as acting commissioner for nearly three years. He told his staff it was time to quit. Last month, the FDA's women's health chief resigned in protest over postponement of an emergency contraception program deemed safe by staff scientists.



There's trouble at the FDA. There will certainly be a shakle-up in the leadership structure there now. This is a fantastic opportunity for Pres. Bush to show how much he cares about the American people by revamping the FDA to protect our health rather than the profits of big drug companies.

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Carcinogens & Drugs force fed us in Food & Drink

Perhaps the problem with the FDA is that the government is hiding the fact that the cattle industry is ridden of mad cow disease and they have been covering up with lower standards of testing the animals.

I will not touch that position if I was her knowing all that.

I am glad cow meet is not longer in my diet.

Crawford, a veterinarian

A vetrinarian? So we have two resignations this month. An organizer of horse events leaving FEMA and a Vet leaving the FDA.

Would all of the other animal specialties please just step aside now?

I wish this meant hope for the future of these organizations, but somehow I just don't feel it.

Veterinarians are Doctors of Veterinarian Medicine. The training of DVMs is every bit as rigorous as that of MDs. MDs work solely with human beings, most of whom can verbalize their complaints to the physician. DVMs work with plethora of species, none of whom can verbalize anything. I knew a DVMs who taught cellular biology at Tulane Medical School.

[edit on 2005/9/24 by GradyPhilpott]

Yes, vet training is rigorous, but the man is not running a barnyard feedstore, he is running the crucial component of our government's oversight of our food and drug safety. I'm not saying he wasn't qualified, but given the quality of Bush appointees and the political favoritism involved, it does leave room for speculation, especially in light of recent decisions and developments at the FDA.

Let's not get sidetracked by the outgoing commissioner's credentials, if you don't mind.

I actually have more respect for Vet's than MD's these days, but that is beside the point. In all honesty I find it not what I would have expected at the helm of the FDA. On the tails of the qualifications of the former FEMA guy, this just makes me want to start pulling resumes on every appointed position and see what's really running the rest of our major agencies. We all know these are appointments based on who you know, but does it have to be so blatant?

Let's not get hung up on credentials? Please, these appointments should be about credentials, and I am starting to wonder what credentials are at this point. It's becoming a joke! It's not like we can defend the stellar job that's been being done in some of these positions.

EDIT: Okay ATS, go figure, you can fill out an application online for a Presidential Appointment. Surely we have someone qualified for this new opening?

www.whitehouse.gov...

[edit on 9/24/2005 by Relentless]

Drug safety issues ( for humans), womens health, and the 'cattle to cattle' feeding problems that increase the risks of Mad Cow, have been some of the issues that Crawford was considered less than great on.....plus there was some to do over an alleged affair and unfair promotions there with. ( Even though those last two were said to be unfounded, the taint, I'm sure would remain.)
Maybe something else is about to come to light......

One would have expected him to have been better versed on drug saftety, as the article mentions he had a doctorate in pharmacology......of course that might just have come in handy when getting cozy with the drug companies.

Originally posted by Relentless

So we have two resignations this month. An organizer of horse events leaving FEMA and a Vet leaving the FDA.

Too right. ...The rats are leaving; the ship is sinking; only the scapegoats remain.

FYI - frayed - the Mad Cow problem goes WAYYY beyond contaminated feed. Prions are present in urine, blood, milk, and various other excretions - meaning the soil and water are contaminated. Insects carry prions, and skin is an entry point. Pick a vector - respiratory, digestive, skin, mucous membranes - and prions have it covered. Prions don't die - and standard decontamination and sterilization procedures only make them mutate into new strains - so it's pretty much guaranteed that every food manufacturing facility is contaminated. ...Also, cow, sheep, and goat products are used in vaccine manufacturing processes. Check out the minutes on the meetings between the FDA and the Mad Cow people - basically, the conclusion was that there were so many different prion strains that there's no point screening for any prions....

And I didn't even get round to talking about blood and tissue products...

Originally posted by soficrow
The rats are leaving; the ship is sinking; only the scapegoats remain.

So what bomb is about to drop here? It absolutely does not make sense that the guy waits around half the year to get confirmed and then two months later decides to retire, or does it?

Seems like an awful waste of time. Also seems odd to put yourself through all that scrutiny (the confirmation process) and then just bag it.

Soficrow, I think you would be a good FDA Chief! Humor me, put in an application, I'm sure we could get the membership here to lobby for your confirmation.

Originally posted by Icarus Rising
Yes, vet training is rigorous, but the man is not running a barnyard feedstore...

My point is that a DVM is as qualified to run the FDA as an MD or a PhD. Your reference to a barnyard feedstore just illustrates how uninformed you are about the subject you are trying to milk for political purposes.

Sorry bad edit.

[edit on 24-9-2005 by marg6043]

His credentials aren't the issue here. He didn't screw up (we know of). He and the Women's health chief are quitting, and there's obviously some underlying conflicts.

It's been a while since the record resignations list got bumped or added to (most in the first term of any administration ever), but this goes in the "scientists that can't take it anymore" section for those keeping score.

Whatever, we don't need to go into who's doing what for political purposes on the board, and your sniping is about as accurate as your opinions.

I'm not interested in what Crawford's resume looks like on the way out, I'm familiar with how this administration handles appointments, and I am hoping for someone to fill this position who will take the health interests of the people over the profits of big pharmaceuticals.

Unfortunately, I think that has about as much chance of happening as you seeing clearly out your umbilical periscope.

Originally posted by marg6043

I am glad cow meet is not longer in my diet.

If only it were that simple. Are you certain it's not transmitted in the milk? Have you cut out all dairy products? What about other meats? Do you know that the feed they are no longer allowed to give to ruminants are permitted for other animals which are then in turn, permitted back into the ruminant feed?

Not targetting you Marg, just you happened to answer the question.

Anyway, there are so many possible issues regarding the FDA these days, many of them with repercussions as far reaching as mad cow, I'm just not so sure which manure is about to hit the fan.

Originally posted by RANT
He and the Women's health chief are quitting, and there's obviously some underlying conflicts.

Actually, I think she quit a bit back, due to disagreeing with him/his appointment to this position.

I read somewhere that his resignation was due to him not disclosing all of his finances as he was supposed to.

Originally posted by Relentless

If only it were that simple. Are you certain it's not transmitted in the milk? Have you cut out all dairy products?

Sorry for the misspell of "meats" I tried to edit and got a quote, he,he,.

Well I found out by the local cattle raisers around here that they do not test milk cow for mad cow, at least they don't here because is not needed.

They do random testing for the meat cows and only will test a milk cow when it shows signs of sickness.

And for the rest of the meat they all at risk, taking in consideration that mad cow can be in your system for a long period of time before you show signs we could all be infected right now and not even know it.

Doctors do not test people for mad cow disease in routine appointments, unless you go into seizures your mental problems will be attributed to just "dementia" and that is something that is not uncommon specially in the elderly.

Unless we all start getting demented around then we can start thinking about an epidemic, but as long as is just one or two cases around nobody will raise a red flag.

Here is Crawford's biography:

[...]

Dr. Crawford received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) from Auburn University, his PhD in pharmacology from the University of Georgia, and his Honorary Doctorate (MDV) from Budapest University.

[...]

www.fda.gov...

Susan Wood quit over the morning after pill decision:

www.medicalnewstoday.com...


[edit on 2005/9/24 by GradyPhilpott]

I haven't heard any explanation about why he was leaving other than he told his staff it was "time to quit."

As for the women's health chief, the link to the Washington Post goes into her reasons for leaving.

FDA Official Quits Over Delay on Plan B
Women's Health Chief Says Commissioner's Decision on Contraceptive Was Political

By Marc Kaufman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 1, 2005; Page A08

The top Food and Drug Administration official in charge of women's health issues resigned yesterday in protest against the agency's decision to further delay a final ruling on whether the "morning-after pill" should be made more easily accessible.

Here's the link where it suggests he resigned because of his finances...probably kickbacks from the drug companies.

www.nytimes.com...

A government official said the resignation was related to the fact that Dr. Crawford had not fully disclosed information about his finances to the Senate before his confirmation. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing Dr. Crawford's privacy.