SPOTLIGHT: Grassley pushes for FDA reform

The release of yesterday's GAO report criticizing the FDA's oversight of the safety of drugs and medical devices caused a chain reaction in Washington. Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) urged Congress to act on legislation that would increase transparency at the agency and give it the authority to conduct its own trials to examine how safe drugs are once they enter the market. Grassley has played a central role in recent investigations of the FDA's role in the development of controversial new medical technologies including Cyberonics' VNS Therapy device for depression and the trial of Abbott Labs' artificial blood substitute PolyHeme. Article