FDA's counsel accused of being too close to drug industry

Daniel Troy, chief counsel to the US Food and Drug Administration, is under fire for inviting drug companies to inform him of lawsuits against them so the FDA could help in their defence. “We can't afford to get involved in every case—we have to pick our shots,” he said, advising them therefore to “make it sound like a Hollywood pitch.”

Congressman Maurice Hinchey of New York charges Mr Troy with a “pattern of collusion” with drug and medical device manufacturers. Mr Hinchey told the BMJ that the FDA had “corrupted its mission to protect the public health” and that Mr Troy “is aggressively intervening against the public on behalf of drug companies and medical device manufacturers.”

Mr Troy's supporters insist that it has been necessary for him to involve himself in court cases to protect the interests of the FDA. The agency says that court plaintiffs are intruding more heavily on the FDA's primary jurisdiction than ever before and it wants to …