Drug Lobbyists ‘Descend Like Locusts’
8 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // May 3rd, 2007 // 7:15 am
As the Senate debates drug safety, DTC advertising and reimportation on the way to renewing PDUFA, the rhetoric is getting heated. Yesterday, for instance, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, spoke in pointed terms about what he described as the “enormous” power that big pharma has over Congress.
He noted figures showing that since 1998, the pharmaceutical industry has spent more than $900 million on federal lobbying. The 1,200 registered lobbyists “descend like locusts into the offices of members of Congress and say, ‘Don’t vote for change. Keep the status quo alive. Make sure that the American people continue to pay the highest prices for medicine in the entire world,’ ” Sanders thundered.
“Since 2000…the pharmaceutical companies have contributed almost $250 million in campaign contributions,” he said, adding that the real question was “whether the Congress of the United States is in fact prepared to stand up to the most powerful, the greediest special interest in the United States of America.”
Ken Johnson of PhRMA was livid: “A large amount of that money is spent trying to defeat bad public policy. Somehow he forgot to mention that we’re committed to saving lives and improving the quality of life for most Americans.”
Lawmakers uniformly reject the notion that they are influenced by political contributions, and public records indicate that senators on both sides of various drug issues have received campaign money from pharmaceutical interests. Nevertheless, many senators whose positions were aligned with industry in the current debate have raised large sums in recent years from pharmaceutical interests.
For example, eight senators co-sponsored an amendment requiring the HHS secretary to certify that importing drugs from other countries posed no increased risk. Dorgan and others said that amendment was designed to kill his proposal, since no official could make such a certification about any imported product.
Together, those eight senators — Democrats Tom Carper of Delaware, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, and Republicans Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett both of Utah, Richard Burr of North Carolina, and Enzi — raised $1.6 million from drug company executives in the last six years, according to a USA TODAY analysis of figures compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Full story in USA Today.
[tags]Counterfeits, Importation, PDUFA[/tags]
Anonymous
One of the more stupid an insipid posts that I have read lately. News flash — industry generally gives money to those that generally support it. I’m shocked.
This, of course, does not mean that the money drives the vote. I suspect that if the industry gave every last penny it had to Bernie Sanders he would still vote to make pharmaceuticals a regulated utility, and then complain when there was no new innovation.
Try and be a little less of a hack.
Lisa Van Syckel
Better to be a hack!! than someone who promotes dangerous drugs that kill children, for profit!!!!
ed
Dear Anonymous,
I appreciate your comments. Here are a couple of thoughts:
The reason I seized on Sanders’ remark is not because his observation is new or shocking, but because the imagery is compelling, particularly during a crucial week of legislative jockeying.
It’s that simple. And I made a point of including Ken Johnson’s remark for a wee bit of balance (granted, his remark wasn’t in the headline, but if uses more colorful language, I’ll be happy to make hay with it).
But if you feel so strongly, why don’t you do this:
1 - write USA Today’s Ken Dilanian and ask why he chose to include Sanders’ comment in his story, from which I derived the post - the credit is right there at the bottom. Go back and look.
2 - if you feel so strongly about your opinions, please have the courage to identify yourself. I have no problem keeping your comment here - I could remove it - but I much prefer to have some dialogue. I don’t mind someone taking a shot, but have some guts.
I also have another question: why didn’t you write in yesterday with a lacerating remark about my post that Thailand is spending $600K on a PR firm to improve its image at a time when its complaining its citizens can’t affiords AIDS drugs?
In other words, I post all sorts of items, some take positions, some don’t. But I try to point out trends and issues. You’re free to disagree, but the name calling is inapprorpriate.
I look forward to your next note.
Regards
ed
Melody
I listened to Bernie–and others–as they presented their views in the Senate’s “Morning Business.” The pro-Pharma advocates always use the “research and innovation” theme, the “it cost $800 million and 12 years to develop a new product” argument. They imply that all research is accomplished only incrementally, over a long time span. Sometimes, medical/pharmaceutical advances come in an instant–a EUREKA moment–from a keen observer who thinks “outside the box.” So this $800 million/12+ years argument is useful, but contrived.
How many millions were spent–and how many years did it take–to develop penicillin?
Laurie
Ah, it would be “insipid” if is wasn’t true! The fact that anonymous doesn’t have a problem with “money buying approval” without regard to drug safety is very telling.
Yes, I live in a state of mind where a regulatory agency is supposed to regulate based on fact…not on who writes the biggest check.
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