Originally published January 2 2006
FDA whistleblower punished for revealing danger of heartworm drug for dogs
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Dr. Victoria Hampshire claims that the F.D.A. acted improperly by suspending her from the review of ProHeart 6, a heartworm drug manufactured by Wyeth and linked with the deaths of 500 dogs.
A federal drug safety official said Monday that her career had been sidetracked and her reputation tarnished after complaints from a drug maker led the Food and Drug Administration to suspend her from reviewing a heartworm medicine for dogs.
The reviewer, Dr. Victoria Hampshire, was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing.
But Dr. Hampshire said she was angry that agency officials had failed to inform her of the accusations or give her a chance to explain herself before taking actions that, she said, hurt her career.
In 2003, Dr. Hampshire raised concerns about ProHeart 6, a heartworm drug made by Wyeth that was later linked with the deaths of 500 dogs and illnesses in 5,000 more.
In a Nov. 29, 2004, meeting, Wyeth's chief executive, Robert A. Essner, raised concerns about Dr. Hampshire with Lester M. Crawford, then the agency's commissioner, said Dr. Hampshire's lawyer, whose account was confirmed by agency officials.
The lawyer, Mark Cohen of the Government Accountability Project, a private group that represents whistle-blowers, said Wyeth had hired a private investigator to "dig up dirt" about Dr. Hampshire.
Doug Petkus, a Wyeth spokesman, said the company "became aware through public information" that Dr. Hampshire had a relationship with an Internet veterinary pharmacy that marketed products that competed with ProHeart 6.
"We made the F.D.A. aware of Dr. Hampshire's affiliation, which we perceived as a potential conflict of interest," Mr. Petkus said.
Dr. Hampshire said that she used the pharmacy, VetCentric.com, because she was practicing veterinary medicine only in her spare time and did not want to buy a full array of drugs.
She said the fees she received were minimal: $196 over four years.
"I don't understand at all why this was seen as a conflict," Dr. Hampshire said.
"Sure, the site sold competitors to ProHeart 6.
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