In light of the ancient advice to know your adversary, we present a profile of Rep. Bart Stupak (photo [1]), the Michigan Democrat who's helping lead more than a half-dozen probes of Big Pharma and the FDA. The Wall Street Journal says Stupak's focus on the drug industry is just part of a quest to improve government oversight of consumer products. It may not feel that way to Pfizer (whose Lipitor ads [2] have drawn scrutiny) or Sanofi-Aventis (investigated for a botched study [3] of the antibiotic Ketek) or Schering-Plough and Merck (probed on testing and advertising the cholesterol med Vytorin [4]). Or to the FDA, which gets a Stupak missive at least once [5] a week these days.

Maybe that's because of Stupak's "bad cop" demeanor, which he trots out to great effect during Congressional hearings. Indeed, Stupak once was a state trooper. And even his across-the-aisle colleagues commend his "bulldog approach to things."

Pharma isn't so complimentary, of course. In NJ Biz, PhRMA chief Billy Tauzin (photo [6]) blamed the scrutiny on the fact that 2008 is an election year [7]. And, he says, all this time spent investigating simply takes away from time spent developing and approving new products.

- get more [8] on Stupak in the Wall Street Journal
- see the article [9] in NJ Biz

Related Articles:
Dingell, Stupak raise questions on Enhance trial. Report [10]
Congress wants more on Jarvik. Report [11]
Critics slam FDA on drug safety. Report [12]