President Bush's intricate ties to the Pharmaceutical industry have taken their toll on the FDA. Already discredited for failing to ensure the safety of a number of prescription medications, a new report from a leading Republican Senator indicates the agency is simply not doing a good job. The New York Times' Gardiner Harris and Benedict Carey have this story:

A day after Canadian officials suspended the use of a hyperactivity drug amid reports of deaths associated with its use, Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa contended that United States health officials had asked the Canadian regulators not to do so.

Senator Grassley, a Republican, said on Thursday that the Food and Drug Administration had made the request of Canadian health officials because the F.D.A. could not handle another "drug safety crisis." Mr. Grassley said he was basing his contentions on reports from whistle-blowers within the agency.

[...]

Mr. Grassley, who has been investigating the Food and Drug Administration for about a year, demanded in a letter written on Thursday that the agency answer questions about any discussions its officials may have had with the Canadians about the drug.

Dr. Robert Temple, director of the F.D.A.'s office of medical affairs, said the agency's decision to permit the continued sale of Adderall was not influenced by the controversies swirling around the F.D.A.

Maybe it's time for the FDA to spend a little more time protecting the American people and a little less time defending PhRMA.