The Food and Drug Administration has appointed consumer advocate Peter Lurie as a policy advisor, signaling a shift in the agency’s regulatory approach. Prior to coming to the FDA, Lurie worked with the consumer’s group Public Citizen, where he helped to raise the awareness about the side effects of Avandia and other drugs.

In his new role as policy advisor, Lurie will help to create strategies to make sure that an adequate supply of medical products and devices are made available to meet the public’s health needs. Margaret Hamburg, the new head of the FDA, says that she wants to expand the agency’s role as a guardian of public health, rather than just a gatekeeper for new drugs or medical devices.

In his work as director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, Lurie helped to raise awareness about the health risks of several drugs linked to serious side effects, including Vioxx, Bextra and Avandia.

Among his other efforts, Lurie co-authored an article highlighting the risk of liver failure for patients taking Avandia. Concerns about the safety of the drug first arose in May 2007, when a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found an increased risk of heart attack and deaths for patients taking Avandia, prompting the FDA to launch an investigation about the side effects risk associated with the diabetes drug.