Press release: “In a bipartisan vote today, the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations unanimously approved the issuance of subpoenas for the testimony of two current and one former criminal investigator of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a hearing on February 12, 2008. The Subcommittee is seeking testimony regarding the agency’s ability and willingness to protect Americans from excessive risk from prescription drugs. The drug involved is Ketek, an antibiotic produced by Sanofi-Aventis (formerly Aventis), which had two of its three indications removed by the FDA for safety concerns just before the Subcommittee’s first hearing on the matter last February.

At the same business meeting, the Subcommittee also unanimously approved a subpoena to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources (HHS) for documents related to the briefing book and other materials used to prepare FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach for his testimony before the Subcommittee on March 22, 2007.”