The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday asked an outside group to review the way the agency monitors safety risks of medicines after they hit the market, such as Merck & Co. Inc.'s withdrawn painkiller Vioxx. The FDA said the study it commissioned from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) is one of many new measures in response to criticism of the agency’s handling of Vioxx, as well as the risks of antidepressants used by children.
