Apparently they did not anticipate the Democrats winning, now they have to play catch up. It would be nice to know what tiny, little fraction of the profit money being spent, is really being used for research, or for the good of anyone other than big pharma themselves. With Republican laws prohibiting negociation for best price they have free reign to set any price for any drug and collect without question. Now that the Sheriff of Nottingham has lost some control, perhaps we have some hope. With unlimited funds I am, truly, more afraid of them than any other entity trying to influence our behavior, and here they go again. Let us hope the Democrats can hold on to their values. As we all know, money corrupts but pharma’s unlimited money corrupts without limits, with both our health and money we are all, the victims.
NewsTarget.com printable article
Originally published December 6 2006
Drug company executives plot strategy for maintaining pharmaceutical monopoly after Democrats take over Congress
by Jessica Fraser
(NewsTarget) Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) — a drug industry lobbying group — held a meeting in Washington, D.C. last month following midterm elections to draft a plan of action to retain political sway in the Democrat-controlled U.S. Congress.
PhRMA president Billy Tauzin and other members of the organization met with a number of Democratic senators and representatives, urging them to seek positions as chairs of influential subcommittees with authority over Medicare and drug industry regulations.
Tauzin also met with a number of Democrats who have supported legislation on issues such as allowing imports of cheaper brand-name drugs from Canada, authorizing Medicare to negotiate cheaper prescription drug prices with manufacturers and restricting direct-to-consumer drug advertising.
Major drug companies have also hired a number of former aides to influential Democrats to assist in lobbying campaigns. For example, Merck recently hired a former aide to liberal House Democrat Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), while Cephalon hired a former health policy aide to Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson.
The biotechnology industry has also mobilized its lobbyists after resounding victories for Congressional Democrats last month. The Biotechnology Industry Organization recently signed on Paul T. Kim, a former aide to both Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.).
“It’s all hands on deck,” said Ken Johnson, senior vice president of PhRMA. “It’s like a hurricane warning flag. You don’t know where it will hit. You don’t know who will be affected. But everybody has to be prepared.”
Drug and biotech companies face serious profit cuts if Democrats pass legislation that allows Medicare price negotiations. Democrats — set to head a number of influential subcommittees, including the Senate Finance Committee and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions — plan to push for stricter drug safety regulations, as well as the development of low-cost generic alternatives to brand-name drugs.
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