Headin' for pharmageddon - by crook or hook.

May 30, 2006

"WC Douglass" <realhealthDaily Dose - Headin' for pharmageddon - by crook or hookSun, 28 May 2006 12:59:02 -0400 A Leader CrookedI've got a confession to make: I've been sitting on a big story formore than a month.I normally wouldn't do something like this, but in this case I justhad to. I wanted to see what the mainstream media would do about thisstory before I broke it in this forum. I hoped it would make headlinesfor weeks and cause ripples that would shake the very columns of thebrand-new Food and Drug Administration building...But since the story looks poorly on both the FDA leadership and on thepolitical machine which greases the corrupt agency's axles

with shadyback-room deals, it caused no more than a momentary blip - nothingmore than barebones obligatory reporting so that the mainstream mediacan say it did its job.It's a shame, too. It's a blockbuster story. On with it...A New York Times investigative report from April 29th (picked up bythe AP and a few other news services and papers) claims that therecently resigned head of the FDA is being investigated criminally forfalse statements to Congress and for financial improprieties involvinga company overseen by the agency.According to the Associated Press report and other sources, former FDAhead Lester Crawford and his wife liquidated more than 50,000 sharesof personally held stock in companies directly regulated by the agency(drug companies, I assume) - stock they held for weeks even AFTERCrawford's confirmation last June. This constitutes a blatant conflictof interest, especially since Crawford had

been acting head of theagency since mid-2004.Less than three months after his confirmation, Crawford suddenlystepped down from his post in September of 2005. One can only assumeit was due to the impending investigation into his finances.But this securities conflict isn't the only problem brewing for theformer FDA head. He's also accused, as part of a lawsuit against theFDA, of holding up the approval of the over-the-counter version of RU486 (the "morning after" birth control pill) for purely politicalreasons - remember, this is a Republican presidential administrationwith a fiercely pro-life stance...Regardless of how you feel about oral contraceptives or prescriptiondrugs in general (I've got some strong opinions on both these thingsmyself), this kind of interference in what's supposed to be anobjective approval process violates everything the Food and DrugAdministration is supposed to stand for.

vTHAT'S what I was hoping would make national news.But what's even more disturbing than the alleged securities fraud ormanipulation of drug approvals (at least to me) is the politicalwheeling-and-dealing that got Crawford confirmed as FDA head to beginwith. You won't believe the details in the next Daily Dose...**************************************************A World HookedSpeaking of drug approvals, here are a few interesting tidbits aboutthe worldwide rise of pharmaceuticals from a recent Forbes.com article: * In 2005, prescription drug sales broke the $600 billion mark forthe first time in history - a leap of 7% over the year before. * Sales in the nine biggest markets (the U.S. included) grew by5.7%, while sales in developing nations like Russia, Mexico, China andSouth Korea averaged a blistering 81% growth year over

year! * Approximately 2,300 purely experimental drugs are currentlybeing tested on humans worldwide, while 212 more are in late-stagehuman trials. * So-called "biotech" drugs (protein-based, injected) grew 17% tomore than $50 billion in sales.Think drugs are taking over medicine, or what?No wonder control of the FDA is such a pivotal advantage for eitherpolitical party. Holding the reins to the domestic approvals oftomorrow's prescription medications spells hundreds of billions ofdollars into the pockets of drug companies - and into the government'scoffers...Only one thing is missing: Any kind of objective oversight oraccountability.Welcome to the prelude of "pharmageddon."Thinking globally, acting vocally,William Campbell Douglass II, MD************************* "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." - Aurobindo.

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