The director of the World Health Organization issued a thinly veiled rebuke of critics suggesting that the Food and Drug Administration should be overhauled, including several candidates reported to be in consideration to head the agency.
Speaking at a conference in Seattle on Wednesday, Dr. Margaret Chan warned against loosening the rules governing the safety and effectiveness data that drug companies must supply to win marketing approval from the FDA.
“We must not let anything, including economic arguments or industry pressure, lower our scientific standards or compromise our integrity. This is an absolute duty,” Chan said in a speech at the University of Washington. Her remarks were circulated by the WHO on Thursday.
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