Two influential Republican lawmakers have released a report critical of alleged FDA surveillance of government scientists that had raised concerns about the approval of medical devices.
According to the report – released by the chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa – the FDA began monitoring nine physicians and scientists in the Center for Devices and Radiological Health in 2010 after they contacted Congress and the media claiming that the agency was approving medical devices that should not be approved.
The report asserts that FDA managers, with the aid of a contractor, were able to read communications between FDA employees and their attorneys, Congress, the Office of Special Counsel, and that no effort was made to limit monitoring so as to exclude protected communications.
The FDA in September put in place policies to require written authorization before putting in place any effort to monitor employees – but the lawmakers say those efforts don’t go far enough, in particular not ensuring whistleblower retaliation protections.
Grassley claims that emails with the staff of two Senate committees and one House committee were intercepted, stored and summarized for senior FDA managers by FDA contractors.