Judd Gregg: “Second, as stated in the letter from the five former FDA chief counsels, the FDA has been filing amicus briefs for such…”

“Second, as stated in the letter from the five former FDA chief counsels, the FDA has been filing amicus briefs for such purposes since long before Mr. Troy's tenure. Mr. Troy is responsible for safeguarding the FDA's ability to carry out the responsibilities Congress has given the Agency, and his interest in those cases has been to preserve the FDA's authority and to safeguard the Agency's primary jurisdiction. Finally, if Mr. Troy's previous work for a client--in this case Pfizer--automatically precluded him from representing a federal agency in any matter affecting that client, such a policy would not only discourage, but make it extremely difficult for any private sector attorney from taking a job in government. Additionally, I know from personal experience that Mr. Troy has the character and the integrity to recuse himself from a matter when appropriate. On at least one occasion in which my office was required to interact with the FDA, Mr. Troy recused himself from involvement in the matter, citing his interest in complying strictly with FDA rules. Mr. Troy's actions are neither inappropriate nor unprecedented. Rather, these are examples of Mr. Troy doing his job and enforcing the law. I urge my colleagues to carefully consider these facts before supporting any provision, such as this one, that would undermine the FDA's ability to protect the public health and patient access to safe and effective life-saving therapies.”