Don't let drug companies regulate themselves

[Guest guest]

Hi Sharon,

You may have heard recently about the Vioxx and Bextra scandals - when Merck

and other giant pharmaceutical corporations marketed drugs to doctors and

the public while concealing information about the dangers of these drugs.

According to epidemiologists, Vioxx alone caused more than 140,000 cases of

heart

disease in just five years.

We've got a real chance right now to prevent this kind of disaster from

happening again - by passing legislation that would give the federal government

stronger authority over the drug companies. This legislation would give the

federal government the ability to protect consumers from these drugs without

preventing health care providers from prescribing the drug to patients that

need it.

Please take a moment to ask your senators to pass legislation that would

give the federal government the authority to make sure doctors and patients

have

full information about the drugs they're prescribing or taking. Then, ask

your family and friends to get involved by forwarding this email to them.

To take action, click on this link or paste in your web browser:

http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=1147 & id4=ES

Background

As the first Vioxx lawsuit goes to trial, new evidence demonstrating how far

Merck officials were willing to go to increase the sales of Vioxx has

emerged. In an email released during the trial, Merck company executives

complain

about changes that government officials requested in the product's label.

Instead of accepting the responsibility to make sure that doctors and

patients get accurate information about Vioxx's side effects, Merck's top

scientist

scoffed at the government's request and referred to the Food and Drug

Administration officials as " bastards. " Not only did Merck fight the FDA's

efforts

to change the product's label, Merck also sent doctors letters that gravely

understated the heart risks faced by patients taking Vioxx.

The Bush administration could have taken a hard line and saved lives by

pulling the drug from the market, but they gave in to pressure from the drug

lobby. Despite mounting evidence of the dangers of these drugs, the Bush

administration took no significant action to protect consumers from the deadly

side

effects of Vioxx.

The federal government's failure to act wasn't only because of the powerful

influence of the drug lobby however - it was also because the government is

unable to effectively regulate drug companies. Short of actually pulling a

drug from the market, the FDA lacks the authority to force drug companies to

take appropriate action to reduce the risks to consumers.

The Food and Drug Administration Safety Act of 2005, bi-partisan legislation

sponsored by Senators Grassley (IA) and Dodd (CT), would

give the federal government the authority it needs to effectively regulate

the drug companies and protect consumers from dangerous drugs. Because of all

the attention on the Vioxx and Bextra scandals, we've got a rare chance to

overcome the drug lobby and pass this important legislation - helping prevent

another Vioxx disaster.

Please take a moment to ask your senators to pass legislation that would

give the federal government stronger authority to regulate drug companies and

prevent unnecessary deaths and injuries to consumers taking prescription

medication. Then, ask your family and friends to get involved by forwarding

this

email to them.

To take action, click on this link or paste in your web browser:

http://pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=1147 & id4=ES

Sincerely,

Beth McConnell

PennPIRG State Director

BMcConnell@...

http://www.PennPIRG.org

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free to share this e-mail

with your family and friends.