Too close for comfort: FDA shouldn’t loosen conflict rules for its expert panels

Never mind the conflicts, there are drugs to approve.

In a sorry turn of events, the Food and Drug Administration is facing a confidence-draining debacle thanks to its controversial approval of a pricey Alzheimer’s drug for which evidence appears suspect, at best.

Approval standards are being questioned and the acting FDA commissioner asked a federal watchdog to probe its dealings with Biogen, because the company quietly worked to curry favor with a top FDA official in charge of reviewing its drug.