October 2, 2008, 7:26 pm FDA Contract: Prescription for a Big He...

October 2, 2008, 7:26 pm FDA Contract: Prescription for a Big Headache Alicia Mundy reports on drug regulation. It’s unusual for a regulator and the industry it regulates to share the same public relations firm. But that’s just what’s happened with the Food and Drug Administration and the pharmaceutical industry’s lobbying arm. Qorvis Communications, an influential PR group in Washington, was hired this year by the FDA as a subcontractor to help heal the agency’s ailing image with a $300,000 “FDA 2008 Public Awareness Campaign.” Qorvis, however, has been working for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the Washington-based lobby for drug makers, since 2006. Ironically, the FDA has been under fire for being too lax in enforcing drug safety regulations with PhRMA’s members – and the big effort to burnish its reputation has backfired. Qorvis also has been representing UST Inc., whose U.S. Smokeless Tobacco unit is the largest American maker of chewing tobacco, which supports a controversial bill in Congress that would allow the FDA to regulate the tobacco industry. The FDA commissioner has opposed the bill. UST is being acquired by Altria Group...........................this was in yesterdays Wall Street Journal...maybe if they did their job right they wouldn't need a publi relations group to up its image,maybe if they separated themselves from the drug companies we would believe them