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Pharma ties run deep on FDA panels. A new study in Health Affairs Scholar found that nearly 38% of FDA advisory committee meetings between 2013 and 2022 included a patient or consumer representative with active ties to a pharmaceutical industry-funded advocacy organization. Researchers say closer FDA scrutiny of these relationships is likely warranted.
Pharma ties run deep on FDA advisory panels
A new study published in Health Affairs Scholar reveals that patient and consumer representatives on FDA advisory committees frequently have financial connections to the pharmaceutical industry — raising questions about potential conflicts of interest in drug review decisions.
Researchers from the University of Southern California analyzed FDA advisory committee meetings from 2013 to 2022, finding that nearly 38% of meetings included a patient or consumer rep with active ties to a pharma-funded advocacy organization. For some committees, that figure exceeded 50%.
By the Numbers
Why it matters: Patient representatives are meant to bring an independent voice to drug approval deliberations. When those representatives have financial ties — even indirect ones — to the companies whose products are being evaluated, it can raise questions about the integrity of the process. The study's authors are calling on the FDA to take a closer look at these relationships.
