CAMP HILL, Pa., February 03, 2006 /PRNewswire/ -- FDA's new policy declaration that its approved drug labels preempt state tort laws aroused the greatest interest among FDA Webview subscribers during January. Four stories on this subject led the Top 20 list of topics as measured by subscriber visits to our site (

http://www.fdaweb.com) -- New Drug Labeling Rule Betrays Reaganism; Attorneys, Consumers Criticize FDA Labeling Rule; FDA: Rx Labeling Trumps State Liability Laws; and FDA Trying to Preempt State Laws.

Our second-most read report concerned a complaint by a former FDA reviewing chemist who, at age 83, is single-handedly suing the agency over an alleged "conspiracy" between FDA and Abbott Laboratories to conceal ingredient impurities in the GMP-plagued drug Synthroid. Another report that attracted significant interest in January included consulting editor John Scharmann's prediction that new top management appointment in FDA's Office of Regulatory would lead to abolition of the agency's five Regional Director positions around the country, an "efficiency" objective that has been incubating for a long time. There was also high reader interest in FDA's response to former employee and FDA Webview commentator Robert Steeves that the federal court in which he has sued former commissioner Lester Crawford for slander has no jurisdiction.

Among other Top 20 reports in January were Scharmann's commentary comparing disparate FDA enforcement between Schering-Plough and Utah Medical Products; competing commentaries by Scharmann and Steeves on the Orlistat OTC switch controversy; and Illegal 'Educational' Marketing Schemes for Rituxan Alleged; FDA Approves 'Paradigm Shift' for Drug Development; FDA Fails to Answer $7.3 mil. UTMD 'Abuse' Claim; New 'Risk' Criteria Bring Surge in FDA Citations; FDA Warns Boston Scientific on Corporate Quality; and FDA Mulls Drug Safety Population-based Studies.

In all, 231 FDA- and industry-related news reports were posted to FDA Webview last month.

Dickinson's FDA Webview is published by Ferdic Inc. (http://www.fdaweb.com), the publisher of leading analytical print newsletters FDA Review, FDA Update and DTC Marketer.

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