A US District Court judge denied a motion filed by the Food and Drug Administration to dismiss a tobacco industry complaint that the panel advising the FDA on tobacco issues is biased, the Associated Press reported.

Last year RJ Reynolds Tobacco and Lorillard filed a suit alledging some members of the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) were biased and had a conflict of interest. The suit asks the court to bar the FDA from relying on TPSAC advice on tobacco issues.
US District Court Judge Richard Leon issued the order allowing the suit to go forward in Washington DC on 1 August, the AP reported. (pi)