FDA's morale spending irks Congress

The US Food and Drug Administration is raising hackles on Capitol Hill where lawmakers are peeved that the agency has paid a consultant more than one million dollars to raise the spirits of FDA employees. Morale at the FDA seems to have hit an all time low, with internal and public voices levying criticisms against the agency for approving high-profile drugs that turned out to be unsafe. (See our December 2008 feature on morale problems at the FDA). The linkurl:__Wall Street Journal__;http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123137470811862863.html?mod=googlenews_wsj reports today that in 2007 the FDA paid approximately $1.5 million to Oakland, CA-based consultant firm Center for Professional Development Inc. FDA employees, attending a recent retreat, were shown a slideshow prepared by the company that likened Janet Woodcock, head of the agency's Center for Drug Evaluation, to Golda Meir, Steve Jobs, and Mahatma Gandhi, among others. Several lawmakers weighed in on the hiring of the consultant and...