(Posted by Patrick Sullivan Jr.)
Flu Vaccine-Makers' Liability Limited in U.S. Senate Measure
Dec. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Drugmakers would be protected from lawsuits related to flu vaccines under a $453 billion defense budget passed by the U.S. Senate.The provision, added to the legislation last night by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican, would require patients seeking to sue a drugmaker to prove the company engaged in willful misconduct when producing a vaccine. The measure fails to provide compensation for injuries or deaths related to a vaccine, said Senator Edward Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat.
"Generally around here we measure who the winners are and who the losers are," Kennedy said on the floor of the Senate. "Drug companies come out time and time again, but never, never, ever, ever like they have with this sweetheart deal."
First, does it bother anyone else that it is ok to attach totally unrelated riders to a bill? It's outrageous that to supply bullets for troops in harms way, there are these backroom negotiations for totally unrelated riders. Ridiculous!
But if we follow the money, Bill Frist, MD is clearly a friend to the Pharmaceutical industry. Aside from the alleged ties between Dr. Frist and Eli Lilly, during the 2000 election cycle, Dr. Frist received $121,957 in campaign donations from the Pharmaceutical industry. Interesting.
But don't think Senator Kennedy is clean of any Big Pharma money as he has received $51,450 so far during the 2006 election cycle. Enough to rank as number 7 on the list of Top 20 recipients.
(And just to give a little more perspective, during 2004 Presidential race, George Bush received $1,028,430 from Pharma versus John Kerry's $596,873.)
If I were to only follow the money here, I think what Senator Kennedy could really be trying to say is, "Lawyers are really getting the short end of the stick with this sweetheart deal." Of course they are because Dr. Frist is limiting the liability of vaccine makers, and has been trying to do so ever since this pesky mercury-autism theory started getting some attention. (Of course, guess which industry contributes the most to politics and who is their top recipient?)
All that aside, I do agree that Pharma is getting away with a big one here. And it's the parents and kids who are getting the shortest end of the stick. Thanks Bill, Teddy, et al.
Technorati Tags: Mercury, Autism, Bill Frist, Ted Kennedy, Politics, Riders
