Senators who weakened drug bill got millions from industry
I have the strangest sensation and opinion that more of these stories will continue to break. They will become a part of life until we do something about it. With the anarchical spirit of the internet, news spreads in a more thorough manner than ever done before. Blogging and websites like Digg.com are a reflection of a massive shift in global consciousness. Ethics, indeed. We’re all watching now. Let’s see how long it takes dumbass politicians to figure that out. Shit, some politicians don’t believe in evolution and rights for homosexuals. Our government is not keeping up with it’s people and therefore becoming obsolete. The state will have much growing up to do and quick. America is not going to take such a huge amount of bullshit pilling up in their own backyard forever. We’re just tolerant of it now because we are young. But mark my prediction. It will become obsolete. It will.
By Ken Dilanian, 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. (more…)
