The Wall Street Journal reported today that Dr. Curt D. Furberg, a professor at Wake Forest University, was booted from an FDA committee to review the safety of the Cox-2 inhibitors after he made public statements questioning the safety of Bextra, a Cox-2 inhibitor painkiller produced by Pfizer, Inc. Vioxx, another Cox-2 inhibitor, was recently pulled from the market after it was found to increase the chance of heart-attack or stroke. Furberg, a leading expert on drug analysis, told the New York Times that he believed Bextra appeared to be similar to Vioxx. The statement prompted FDA to rescind his invitation to the advisory panel. Furberg told the Wall Street Journal, "I collected the evidence to contribute to the debate, I drew a conclusion, and I'm off." FDA suppress opinions unfavorable to drug companies? Never! Update: Also reported here in the N.Y. Times, and here in the Washington Post.