Big Pharma's Big Graveyard - Drug Profits, Fraud and Death

http://www.counterpunch.com/pringle06262006.html

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The best example of the administration's efforts to protect Big Pharma was revealed recently when the FDA announced a preemption rule that would disallow lawsuits in state court against drug makers if a drug has been approved by the FDA.

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But in all fairness, the FDA is certainly not the only public health agency in bed with Big Pharma. Nobody can deny the fact that Big Pharma is an equal opportunity corrupter. Its obvious that drug companies have infiltrated every Federal regulatory agency in the US.

For instance, on June 14, 2006, a National Institute of Health Alzheimer's researcher, Dr Trey Sunderland, asserted his Fifth Amendment rights, and refused to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee about accusations that he has profited from giving Pfizer access to spinal fluid and plasma samples collected by the NIH.

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Representative, WJ "Billy" Tauzin (R-La), was chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and had cited "secret consulting fees and stock options from drug companies" as reasons to request documentation of all payments from Big Pharma to NIH scientists.

But next thing you know, Tauzin announces that he is not running for reelection, and leaves Congress to become President of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the giant trade group that represents Big Pharma, with a reported $2 million a year in salary, benefits and perks.

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"The fraud in this industry is not divided into that which injures by over drugging and that which cheats taxpayers and stockholders out of their money," he explains. "They are two sides of the same counterfeit coin."
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this is a long article full of important facts with NAMES of the criminals

bottom line: if they aren't killing us with bad medicine, they are killing us financially with artificial high prices, etc. and the neo con bushmilhousegang backs them and the fraud because they are making money off it too.

take big pharma's medicine with EXTREME caution.

Big Pharma is always trying to justify their price gouging on the basis of needing to support their research -- but if two thirds of their "development" budget goes to high-pressure marketing.....

nt

leading to the development of new drugs is funded either by the government or by other groups such as non-profits.

why we, the people, can't go after those responsible for squandering our tax dollars.

ellen fl

making it impossible or very hard to go after them in the courts

:kick:

The drug ads are all about getting people to think they have a disease when they really don't.

marketing of drugs besides the US. I believe it's New Zealand. Every other country bans it for good reason.