Divided Senate panel backs FDA nominee

[Judi Lynn]

Divided Senate panel backs FDA nominee
Wed Jun 15, 2005 3:48 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A divided U.S. Senate committee voted to back President Bush's pick to head the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday, but Senators from both parties threaten to block a vote by the full Senate.

The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted by voice -- making the exact count unclear -- but three Democratic senators criticized the nominee, acting FDA commissioner Lester Crawford, for failing to decide on nonprescription sales of a "morning-after" contraception.

After the vote, Sens. Patty Murray of Washington state and Hillary Clinton of New York moved to block a floor vote, delaying it until the FDA decides whether Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc. can sell its Plan B pills over the counter.

"It is not about the drug. It is about the fact that no decision has been made," Murray said.
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http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2005-06-15T194836Z_01_N15265855_RTRIDST_0_POLITICS-CONGRESS-FDA-DC.XML

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