People are entitled to contradict themselves, of course. And ambivalence can be the basis of sound policy. (What is FDA's risk-management approach if not an attempt to respond to our desire to have it both ways?) But people need to understand that the conflict in the Vioxx case and others is not just between the industry and its gadflies. It's a conflict within.

Patrick Clinton is Pharmaceutical Executive’s editor-in-chief and can be reached at pclinton@advanstar.com.