In a message dated 12/7/2005 6:57:52 AM Eastern Standard Time,
LptimmTruckin@... writes:

> _http://news.google.com/news?ie=utf8&oe=utf8&persist=1&hl=en&client=google&
> ncl
> =http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/12/06/business/whistle.php_
> (http://news.google.com/news?ie=utf8&oe=utf8&persist=1&hl=en&client=google&
> ncl=http://www.iht.
> com/articles/2005/12/06/business/whistle.php)
>
> Laurryn~
> "Got Dogs?"
> _www.DogsAdverseReactions.com_ (http://www.dogsadversereactions.com/)
>

Dr. Victoria Hampshire of the FDA CVM was wrongly accused of unethical
practice by the pharmaceutical giant, Wyeth! She was investigated by her own
organization, the FDA! She was found not guilty of anything unethical!


1. Agency Faces Scrutiny Over Heartworm Drug for Dogs, by Diedtra
Henderson, The Boston Globe
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/12/06/business/whistle.php

2. Dog-Drug Case Renews Scrutiny on FDA by Diedtra Henderson, The Boston
Globe - Dec. 6, 2005

http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2005/12/06/dog_drug_case_renews_sc\
rutiny_on_fda/

3. Staffer's move sparks probe of FDA, Wyeth, Rita Rubin, USA Today

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/drugs/2005-12-05-fda-wyeth-probe\
_x.htm

5. FDA Official Chides Agency Over Treatment, by Gardiner Harris, New
York Times, Dec. 6, 2005

QUOTE: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/06/politics/06fda.html?adxnnl=1&
adxnnlx=1133968568-Hb1rFlQi7mIa05C3x6clyw

By GARDINER HARRIS
Published: December 6, 2005
Correction Appended WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 - A federal drug safety official said
Monday that her career had been sidetracked and her reputation tarnished after
complaints from a drug maker led the Food and Drug Administration to suspend
her from reviewing a heartworm medicine for dogs.The reviewer, Dr. Victoria
Hampshire, was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing. But Dr. Hampshire said she
was angry that agency officials had failed to inform her of the accusations or
give her a chance to explain herself before taking actions that, she said,
hurt her career.

"Everybody jumped to the conclusion that I was guilty before they knew the
answers, and no public apology was ever made," she said. Susan Bro, a senior
adviser to the agency, said: "The F.D.A. acted properly with respect to this
matter. The F.D.A. considers it concluded.

"In 2003, Dr. Hampshire raised concerns about ProHeart 6, a heartworm drug
made by Wyeth that was later linked with the deaths of 500 dogs and illnesses in
5,000 more. Under pressure from the F.D.A., Wyeth withdrew the drug last
year.In a Nov. 29, 2004, meeting, Wyeth's chief executive, Robert A. Essner,
raised concerns about Dr. Hampshire with Lester M. Crawford, then the agency's
commissioner, said Dr. Hampshire's lawyer, whose account was confirmed by agency
officials. The lawyer, Mark Cohen of the Government Accountability Project, a
private group that represents whistle-blowers, said Wyeth had hired a private
investigator to "dig up dirt" about Dr. Hampshire. "They should at least give
her the courtesy of hearing what she has to say about it before she is removed
from the case," Mr. Cohen said.

Doug Petkus, a Wyeth spokesman, said the company "became aware through public
information" that Dr. Hampshire had a relationship with an Internet
veterinary pharmacy that marketed products that competed with ProHeart 6. "We
made the
F.D.A. aware of Dr. Hampshire's affiliation, which we perceived as a potential
conflict of interest," Mr. Petkus said.Dr. Hampshire said that she used the
pharmacy, VetCentric.com, because she was practicing veterinary medicine only
in her spare time and did not want to buy a full array of drugs. She said the
fees she received were minimal: $196 over four years. "I don't understand at
all why this was seen as a conflict," Dr. Hampshire said. "Sure, the site sold
competitors to ProHeart 6. But it also sold ProHeart 6."Correction: An article
yesterday about a federal drug safety official who said her career and
reputation had been damaged by complaints from a drug manufacturer misstated her
given name. The official, who has since been cleared of wrongdoing, is Dr.
Victoria Hampshire, not Nancy.
END QUOTE

Thank you, Dr. Hampshire, for your integrity and your determination to do the
right thing and not be intimidated by either the FDA for whom you work, or
the pharmaceutical giant, Wyeth! That takes a lot of "true grit". Good for
you!

Jean Townsend
(Always for George - Always for the Rimadyl Dogs)









































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