Senators who weakened drug bill got millions from industry

[RiverStone]

Source: USA Today

WASHINGTON — Senators who raised millions of dollars in campaign donations from pharmaceutical interests secured industry-friendly changes to a landmark drug-safety bill, according to public records and interviews.

The bill, which passed 93-1, grants the Food and Drug Administration broad new authority to monitor the safety of drugs after they are approved. It addressed some shortcomings that allowed the painkiller Vioxx to stay on the market for years after initial signs that it could cause heart attacks.

However, the powers granted to the FDA in the bill's original version were pared back during private meetings. And efforts to curb conflicts of interest among FDA advisers and allow consumers to buy cheaper drugs from other countries were defeated in close votes.

• A measure that blocked an effort to allow drug importation passed, 49-40. The 49 senators who voted against drug importation received about $5 million from industry executives and political action committees since 2001 — nearly three quarters of the industry donations to current members of the Senate, according to a USA TODAY analysis of data compiled by two non-partisan groups, Center for Responsive Politics and PoliticalMoneyLine.



Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-05-10-senators-drug-bill_N.htm

---

Dig a little into this story and there is plenty to be concerned about on both the DEM and rethug side of the isle.

With the outlandish cost of pharmacy drugs rising into the stratosphere (like gas) - it feels like in both cases the only one getting extorded is the consumer.

How could some DEMS be part of a bill which seems to go against the values of our party? A bill which feeds the interest of the multi-million (or billion) dollar pharmaceutical industry above that of We The People. Hey John Kerry, Max Baucus, and Tom Carper --- what gives? It's rare that I'm critical of our own, yet WTF are these 3 DEMS doing in the TOP 10 for recipients of $$$ from pharmaceutical executives and political action committees over the past 6 years (in story linked above)?!

I totally expect this kind of collusion from rethugs, but DEMS? All 3 voted YES.

:mad:

Am I missing something?

[soothsayer]

1. shocker! this is why election reform is needed. and term limits.

hell, i'd like to see congress and the presidency for that matter reduced to a detestable public service like jury duty. People should be called up for mandatory duty (3 mos? 6 mos? a year?) and should dread it, hate it, want to get it over with. These folks who love it are a real problem. Maybe congress should only meet a few times a year. The less that people do, the better off we'll be.

[superconnected]

2. Another collusive deal WHICH IS WHAT CONGRESS IS MADE OF.

Make collusion a felony for a politician to do.

Then we could end this crap by putting them in jail as they are caught.

Instead it's what runs the friggen country - politicians doing collusive deals.

[pokercat999]

16. How about one term then out forever. Stop all PAID

lobbying. Stop ANY gifts to any member of the Federal Govt including regular civil service workers. Public funding of all Federal elections including free radio and TV air time.

[cyberpj]

19. I keep wondering how term limits and election reform will happen since the crooks do the voting. nt

[ThomCat]

3. Of course they did.

That's how votes are purchased. x(

[RiverStone]

8. But do we not hold DEMS to higher ethical standards?

Or is buying votes with industry drug money just standard operating procedure?

That "status quo" I will never accept!

[ThomCat]

9. I'd love to be able to say that Dems don't get bought.

I suspect they just don't get bought with quite as much money, or quite as short a leash. But most of them are probably bought all the same. :(

[Skittles]

4. pay us enough and we will f*** the American people

W H O R E S

[cosmicdot]

5. knr

It would have been nice if in, at least, the 2nd 100 hours, we could have ended corporate donations/the current campaign finance system; and, replaced HAVA w/ paper ballots/hand counts ...

Parmaceutical/health products donations so far in the 2008 campaigns

Mitt Romney (R)
$156,660

Hillary Clinton (D)
$106,200

Barack Obama (D)
$51,950

Rudolph W. Giuliani (R)
$34,350

Christopher J. Dodd (D)
$34,100

John McCain (R)
$34,000

Bill Richardson (D)
$8,850

Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D)
$8,650

Sam Brownback (R)
$7,200

Tommy Thompson (R)
$6,100

John Edwards (D)
$4,400

Jim Gilmore (R)
$4,200



http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/select.asp?Ind=H04


Pharmaceutical campaign-buyin donations

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.asp?Ind=H04

Top 20 Recipients 2006

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.asp?Ind=H04&cycle=2006

2004

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.asp?Ind=H04&Cycle=2004&recipdetail=A&Mem=N&sortorder=U

2002

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.asp?Ind=H04&Cycle=2002&recipdetail=A&Mem=N&sortorder=U

2000

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/recips.asp?Ind=H04&Cycle=2000&recipdetail=A&Mem=N&sortorder=U

[RiverStone]

6. As a life long DEM, this kind of story...

Makes me cynical of ALL major party politicians. Bummed to see Obama in the mix for 51K --- fuck, maybe the pharmacy co.'s have their hand in ALL the politicians pockets!

Why would Obama accept $$$ from such greedy bastards????

[Cass]

7. This damn well should be illegal but it never will be.

I'm sick and tired of being sold down the river just to line some crook's pockets.

[pokercat999]

17. When Americans like you and me get sick enough to

commit civil disobedience, disrupt normal commerce and possibly shutdown the govt then and only then will we have change. Until that time just bend over and get out the KY Jelly to ease the way for the screwing you're going to get.

[MaineDem]

10. Please let Susan Collins be one of them

Now I'll go read the article.

[rodeodance]

11. you are not missing anything--Dems are included

[RiverStone]

12. Well then they deserve to be even pitched...

...more shit for their vote!

I know dissing DEMS is against the flavor and spirit of DU --- and my well over 1000 posts are very supportive for the party I've worked for all my adult life.

But I'm so damn sick of my medical insurance for myself + 2 kids being jacked up by CEO greed. John Kerry has no clue what it means to live at the mercy of drug companies. My daughter blew out her knee playing basketball - 2 hours of surgery later and just 1 night in the hospital = over $10,000!

Sorry - this is just really under my skin these days. Damn good thing I don't need any pharmacy drugs to rant! At least for now, I can do that for free!!!

:rant:

[leftchick]

13. I am not shocked in the least

we have as many democratic corporatists as repuke. This isn't news to me.

[indepat]

14. Any time a bill passes 93-1 must be great for industry for ain't no 'pukes going to vote for any

thing not beneficial to large corporations at the expense of the consuming public. Achtung and Heil!

[Rainscents]

18. Yep...

I also bet... there's something in the bill to bring down natural supplement.

Why do you think, there had been mess emails and petitions to stop this bill from being passed. I posted here regarding this bill and what it could do to natural supplements. I got trashed real bad by some DU'ers.

[brentspeak]

15. When are the People going to march on Washington and demand an end to the pay-for-play system?

[cyberpj]

20. Not until Paris and Brittany aren't headlines & Infotainment isnt news. Never in Corporate S of A.

Salute the logos - the flag is gone.

[ProSense]

21. This story is completely misleading to the point of being bogus!

According to the article:

The pharmaceutical companies spend more money on lobbying than any other single industry — $855 million from 1998 to 2006, according to the non-partisan Center for Public
Integrity.

Pharmaceutical interests and PAC monies.

Senator Kerry's campaign funds come from individual donations. He is not among the top recipients of pharmaceutical PAC money (he is most likely at the very bottom: last). From the Center for Responsive Politics:

2006: 1 Nancy L. Johnson (R-CT) $216,710]

2004: 1 Richard Burr (R-NC) $184,498]

2002: 1 Nancy L. Johnson (R-CT) $189,992]

2000: 1 Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) $153,965]

Since 1989, Senator Kerry has recieved $3,154 from Health PACs.


Look at the amounts no voters get from Health PACs:

Feinstein - $618,288

Dorgan - $266,950

Clinton - $250,350

[ProSense]

22. There was another bill involved,

and it was also important. More here, here and here.