The FDA released a statement denying the allegations that it tried to suppress the findings of a safety official regarding the Vioxx painkiller. Charles Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee said that the official in charge of the Vioxx testing, Dr. David Graham, had told him he was pressured to remain silent about the findings of a Vioxx safety study. In the statement, the FDA said the study on Vioxx, a popular painkiller for patients suffering from arthritis, was sent through the standard review process.

The FDA said Graham's conversation with his supervisor consisted of “…open discussion and frank exchange about scientific and medical issues….After that discussion, it was Dr. Graham's decision to revise the abstract.”

Vioxx was taken off the market last week because the drug increases a patient's risk of having a heart attack.