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Dr. Lester M. Crawford


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Third-Party Descriptions

October 2005: The 2004 decision was announced when then-acting Commissioner Lester M. Crawford was in charge, having taken over for Commissioner Mark McClellan in March. Crawford resigned with little explanation last month, only two months after being confirmed by the Senate following a heated battle over the Plan B application.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/12/AR2005101202607.html

April 2005: "The ads are regulated by the FDA's Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising and Communications. The office, which has barely three dozen employees, must review 30,000 to 40,000 ads a year. Acting commissioner Lester M. Crawford said recently that "our patience is sometimes worn thin" by the advertising claims."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/26/AR2005042601624.html

Relationships

RoleNameTypeLast Updated
Organization Head/Leader (past or present) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Organization May 7, 2005
Supervisor of (past or present) Prof. Susan F. Wood Person Dec 4, 2006

Articles and Resources

Date Fairness.com Resource Read it at:
Aug 24, 2006 Morning After Pill Is Cleared for Wider Sales

QUOTE: The Food and Drug Administration today approved over-the-counter sales of the “morning-after” contraceptive pill to women 18 and older, resolving one of the most contentious issues in the agency’s 100-year history.

 New York Times
Feb 04, 2006 Generic Drugs Hit Backlog At FDA: No Plans to Expand Review Capabilities

QUOTE: "The branded industry has to be delighted by this backlog," said Jake Hansen, vice president for government affairs for Barr Laboratories Inc., a maker of generic drugs. "If they can't stop competition in the courts, stopping it as applications go through the regulatory process is just as effective..."

 Washington Post
Nov 15, 2005 Review of 'Plan B' Pill Is Faulted: Report Calls FDA Actions 'Unusual'

QUOTE: Senior Food and Drug Administration officials were told that the application to sell the "morning-after pill" without prescription was going to be rejected before the staff completed its scientific review...

 Washington Post
Oct 21, 2005 New Diabetes Drug Poses Major Risks, Panel Says: Review Finds FDA Overlooked Data on Life-Threatening Cardiovascular Effects of Pargluva

QUOTE: The latest controversy underscores the heightened concern over drug safety, with the scrutiny this time on an earlier stage in the FDA approval process. But to some, it also reflects a continuing FDA reluctance to fully embrace drug safety as a paramount concern.

 Washington Post
Oct 13, 2005 Decision on Plan B Called Very Unusual

QUOTE: ...top FDA officials participated in assessing the application to allow the emergency contraceptive Plan B to be sold without a prescription.

 Washington Post
Sep 01, 2005 FDA Official Resigns in Protest of 'Morning-After Pill' Decision: Women's Health Chief Says Commissioner's Decision on Contraceptive Was Political

QUOTE: 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...."I can no longer serve as staff when scientific and clinical evidence, fully evaluated and recommended for approval by the professional staff here, has been overruled,"...

 Washington Post
Jun 08, 2005 Drug Safety Panel Is Criticized: Efforts to Protect Consumers at Risk, Say Senator, FDA Official

QUOTE: ...new drug safety board established by the Food and Drug Administration...will actually set back efforts to improve the safety of the medications Americans take and will not make it any easier to take dangerous drugs off the market...

 Washington Post
May 07, 2005 Gay Groups Assail Sperm Bank Rule

QUOTE: A new Food and Drug Administration regulation scheduled to go into effect this month calls on sperm banks to reject anonymous donations from men who have been sexually active with other men within five years...the long-debated regulation is being attacked as unscientific and bigoted by some gay groups...

 Washington Post
Apr 30, 2005 Lawmakers' Help for Drug Firm Tests Limits: FDA Calls Efforts For Bayer Illegal

QUOTE: ...an attempt by lawmakers to influence the executive branch's handling of an important public health issue involving parochial economic interests and complex science. In stepping in, the congressmen entered a murky area and overstepped legal limits on their involvement, FDA officials said. While members of Congress frequently write to agencies as part of regular oversight, they are not supposed to intervene in formal, trial-type proceedings.

 Washington Post
Apr 27, 2005 Doctors Influenced By Mention Of Drug Ads: Offbeat Study Finds Familiar Brand Name Can Evoke Diagnosis

QUOTE: Most who did not report symptoms of depression were not given medications, but when they asked for Paxil, 55 percent were given prescriptions, and 50 percent received diagnoses of depression. The study adds fuel to the growing controversy over the estimated $4 billion a year the drug industry spends on such advertising.

 Washington Post