The panel which will convene on July 30 will discuss the safety of the drug. The financial disclosure documents released by the agency stated that four of the six doctors with conflicts may vote on recommendations to the FDA. The agency wouldn't say how many members the committee will have.

This situation is very similar the Merck and Co.?s Vioxx. The painkiller was withdrawn from the market in 2004 after statistics proved the medicine increased users risk of heart attacks and strokes. In that instance, FDA Panelists with industry ties approved the drug too quickly before finding if the drug was safe.

?They shouldn't appoint people with conflicts of interest,? said Merrill Goozner, director of the Integrity in Science project at the Washington-based Center for Science in Public Interest, in an interview. ?The public perception of the evenhandedness of the process will be immeasurably enhanced if they appoint only people who do not have conflicts.?

According to Bloomberg, ?To allow the doctors to participate in the Avandia review, the FDA is waiving rules that bar panelists with financial conflicts. Regulators, who routinely issue the waivers, say researchers often consult for drug makers or have other ties and aren't swayed by those connections.?

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