November 20,2007

Grassley, Baucus seek information from former drug company executive in Avandia case

WASHINGTON — Sens. Chuck Grassley and Max Baucus have asked a former drug company research executive to provide information to the Senate Committee on Finance about attempts to intimidate a prominent independent scientist who voiced concerns about drug safety.

Dr. Tadataka Yamada was formerly the head of research at GlaxoSmithKline. He now heads the Global Health Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. John Buse was a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina in 1999, when he expressed concerns about the diabetes drug Avandia, which is made by GlaxoSmithKline.

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