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S1082 Update – Senate Stabs Americans in the Back

Big Pharma Maintains Monopoly on U.S. Drug Prices

By Byron J. Richards, CCN
May 8, 2007

For approximately four days Americans lived in a delusional state that they may soon pay drug prices the same as every other country in the civilized world. Euphoria over breaking the Big Pharma monopoly turned to disgust as the chameleon, Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), changed sides and lead a contingency of Democrats against fellow Democrats lead by Byron Dorgan (D-ND). By passing the Cochran amendment the Dorgan amendment is poisoned and will no longer be effective. Maybe Democrats are now learning what Republicans have known for some time – you can’t trust Kennedy.

Last Thursday, on a cloture vote of 63-28 (all 28 votes were Republicans), Senators voted to limit debate on the Dorgan amendment and thus prevent a filibuster. Many took this to mean that Dorgan had the strength, based on strong support in the Democratic Party and enough Republicans who wanted lower drug prices for Americans, to actually allow reimportation of drugs from other countries. This makes complete sense to all Americans, unless they work for Big Pharma. It now appears Kennedy’s pretended support for the cloture vote was simply to limit debate time spent on his entire bill – since the longer it is debated the greater the number of Big Pharma loopholes come to light.

Jumping ship with Kennedy were 14 other Democrats, 4 Republicans, and 1 Independent: Baucus (D-MT), Bayh (D-IN), Cantwell (D-WA), Carper (D-DE), Kerry (D-MA), Landrieu (D-LA), Lautenberg (D-NJ), Lincoln (D-AR), Menendez (D-NJ), Mikulski (D-MD), Murray (D-WA), Nelson (D-NE), Rockefeller (D-WV), Salazar (D-CO), Coleman (R-MN), Coburn (R-OK), Corker (R-TN), Martinez (R-FL), Specter (R-PA), and Lieberman (ID-CT).

Pressures applied by Kennedy, along with Big Pharma’s wallet, was all it took to cause Americans to be raped of 50 billion dollars over the next ten years.

Noteworthy in this group of Senator’s failing the American public is Norm Coleman (R-MN). He could be seen grinning from ear to ear following his vote, while getting patted on the back by fellow Republicans. Coleman has been in favor of drug reimportation for some time, helping Minnesota set up one of the most progressive programs in the country to import drugs from Canada. Who bought his vote? He certainly wasn’t representing the citizens of his state.

The battle on S1082 rages on. Kennedy is doing everything he can to force a final vote on S1082 before too many Big Pharma loopholes are closed. Big Pharma obviously owns the Senate. And the Senate is hammering the citizens of this country in the pocketbook. Demand your senators vote no on S1082 – it is a fake safety bill that will lock in the Big Pharma monopoly on health care for the next 50 years.

To get information to contact your Senators follow this link:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Letter #1 - The People’s Amendment:

S.1082 - Please Amend to Protect Dietary Supplements

May 7, 2007

The Honorable (Senator First and Last Name)
Address
Address

Dear Senator Last Name;

The issue of drug safety is of the utmost importance to myself and all Americans. I am concerned that the legislation, as currently written, opens the door for considerable regulatory confusion enabling the FDA to use S.1082 to undermine my access to safe and effective dietary supplements.

There must be no confusing the safety of drugs and the safety of food and food ingredients – which are governed by different laws. This bill authorizes the creation of a new regulatory category that enables the FDA and the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA to attack dietary supplements and functional foods.

I am sure you and other Senators were not intending to create such concern among the 150 million Americans who rely on dietary supplements to assist their health, and this matter is easily corrected with a simple amendment.

Proposed amendment to S1082:

“The bill, S1082, is hereby amended to eliminate any reference to the terms food or food ingredients within Subtitle B - Reagan-Udall Foundation for the Food and Drug Administration, such that food and food ingredients will not be subject to any jurisdiction or control by the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the Food and Drug Administration.”

Intent of amendment:

To eliminate from the bill any possibility that food or food ingredients would be treated like drugs either for safety review purposes or for assessment of their efficacy. It is a fundamental tenet of food and drug law that foods and food ingredients are presumed to be safe and have to be established to be adulterated only if they present a significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury.

Sincerely,

Letter #2 – General opposition to S.1082

Anti S.1082 - Prescription Drug User Fee Amendments of 2007
(formerly the Food and Drug Revitalization Act)

May 7, 2007

The Honorable (Senator First and Last Name)
Address
Address

Dear Senator Last Name;

The issue of drug safety and access to drugs at a fair price is of the utmost importance to myself and all Americans. In general, I am opposed to Senate bill S1082: Prescription Drug User Fee Amendments of 2007, as it does not go far enough to protect myself and my family from the dangers of drugs.

I am opposed to Big Pharma funding of the FDA. I want Congress, not private industry, to fund new drug approval as well as the safety of drugs already on the market. It is an intolerable conflict of interest AND SAFETY ISSUE to have Big Pharma paying the FDA to approve its own drugs.

I want an independent office within the FDA to monitor the safety of drugs already on the market. FDA scientists must be free of all FDA management pressures and Big Pharma influence. I am in favor of all 11 Grassley amendments

I support the Dorgan amendment that enables Americans to get a fair price on prescription medication.

I am opposed to the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA, which supports the plans of the Critical Path Initiative, a plan that is officially on record wanting to speed new and even more powerful drugs to the market with far less safety and effectiveness testing than current medications.

It is intolerable that Congress does not properly fund the FDA to approve new drugs, monitor the safety of drugs, and ensure a safe food supply. It is also intolerable that FDA management problems, as outlined in the Institute of Medicine report (which calls FDA management dysfunctional) are not being meaningfully addressed.

S.1082 is Big Pharma preferred legislation. I want true and meaningful safety legislation that protects myself and my family. Please vote no on S1082.

Sincerely,

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Call the Capitol toll-free: 800-828-0498, 800-459-1887, or 800-614-2803

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Copyright © 2007 Truth In Wellness, LLC All Rights Reserved
Byron J. Richards, Founder/Director of Wellness Resources, is a Board-Certified Clinical Nutritionist and nationally-renowned health expert, radio personality, and educator. He is the author of Mastering Leptin, The Leptin Diet, and Fight for Your Health: Exposing the FDA’s Betrayal of America.
Richards encourages individuals to take charge of their health, stand up for their health rights, and not blindly succumb to propaganda from the vested-interests who profit from keeping Americans sick. As founder of Wellness Resources, Inc. of Minneapolis, MN, an independently-owned fine-quality dietary supplement company since 1985, he has personally developed 75 unique nutraceutical-grade nutritional formulas. www.wellnessresources.com

E-mail: byron@truthinwellness.com