Dr. Lynn McPherson was removed from a panel of experts advising the Food and Drug Administration on prescription painkillers.  This panel is organized by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, a group that advises the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

This decision was made as a result of a letter that Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon wrote to the president of the National Academy of Medicine, complaining that some panelists, including Dr. McPherson, received funding from drugmakers or served in professional societies that received such funding.  

The fact is that these funds were used for legitimate purposes - for residency and education funding.

Many people that know Dr. McPherson will agree that her work has never been compromised by payments from drug companies.

As the dean of Maryland's School of Pharmacy stated, "Ultimately, it is patients who will be most affected by [the] decision...with years of education and training focused on medications and their effect on the body, pharmacy practitioners like Dr. McPherson play a unique and valuable role in establishing guidelines and best practices for the treatment of pain and drug abuse."

We want the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to invite Dr. McPherson back on the panel with an apology for defaming her character.