FDA commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach is opposed to bipartisan legislation that would allow FDA to regulate tobacco products. Sensible bills in both the House and the Senate would dramatically improve public health as it relates to tobacco products. The bill would do so by placing the tobacco industry — which currently goes unregulated — under the purview of FDA. In a Mar. 6 interview with the Associated Press, von Eschenbach manipulates the facts in his opposition to the bill. His specious arguments are a poorly veiled attempt to side with the tobacco industry. He also claimed tobacco products are too complex for the FDA to handle. How can an FDA commissioner hold such little regard for his own agency? One of the bills sponsors, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), wrote a letter to von Eschenbach asking him to correct his various misstatements. Your statements suggest a serious misunderstanding of the bill and appear to ignore overwhelming evidence that such regulation is necessary to address the continuing epidemic of tobacco-related death and disease. Waxman then discredits von Eschenbach's argument point by point. Waxman's letter is a pleasure to read (as his Bush administration proddings usually are). Check this one out here.