The Census API, which pulls from the American Community Survey and the 2010 Census, has yielded an unprecedented level of interest from citizen developers.

WHITEHOUSE: Building-Blocks of a 21st Century Digital Government

But Vasella is considerably less kind to consumer interest groups like Sidney Wolfe's Public Citizen, which jumped on Zelnorm as a potentially dangerous drug.

FORBES: Novartis' Potential Blockbuster Zelnorm Approved

They are concentrating on material of national interest, such as elections, news sites and citizen journalism or innovative uses of the web.

ECONOMIST: Archiving the web

"The FDA has a pretty high threshold for conflict of interest, " says Sidney Wolfe, of the watchdog group Public Citizen.

FORBES: The FDA's Conflict Of Interest Problem