Headin' for pharmageddon - by crook or hook

[Guest guest]

" WC Douglass " <realhealth

Daily Dose - Headin' for pharmageddon - by crook or hook

Sun, 28 May 2006 12:59:02 -0400

 

 

 

A Leader Crooked

 

I've got a confession to make: I've been sitting on a big story for

more than a month.

 

I normally wouldn't do something like this, but in this case I just

had to. I wanted to see what the mainstream media would do about this

story before I broke it in this forum. I hoped it would make headlines

for weeks and cause ripples that would shake the very columns of the

brand-new Food and Drug Administration building...

 

But since the story looks poorly on both the FDA leadership and on the

political machine which greases the corrupt agency's axles with shady

back-room deals, it caused no more than a momentary blip - nothing

more than barebones obligatory reporting so that the mainstream media

can 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 by

the AP and a few other news services and papers) claims that the

recently resigned head of the FDA is being investigated criminally for

false statements to Congress and for financial improprieties involving

a company overseen by the agency.

 

According to the Associated Press report and other sources, former FDA

head Lester Crawford and his wife liquidated more than 50,000 shares

of personally held stock in companies directly regulated by the agency

(drug companies, I assume) - stock they held for weeks even AFTER

Crawford's confirmation last June. This constitutes a blatant conflict

of interest, especially since Crawford had been acting head of the

agency since mid-2004.

 

Less than three months after his confirmation, Crawford suddenly

stepped down from his post in September of 2005. One can only assume

it was due to the impending investigation into his finances.

 

But this securities conflict isn't the only problem brewing for the

former FDA head. He's also accused, as part of a lawsuit against the

FDA, of holding up the approval of the over-the-counter version of RU

486 (the " morning after " birth control pill) for purely political

reasons - remember, this is a Republican presidential administration

with a fiercely pro-life stance...

 

Regardless of how you feel about oral contraceptives or prescription

drugs in general (I've got some strong opinions on both these things

myself), this kind of interference in what's supposed to be an

objective approval process violates everything the Food and Drug

Administration is supposed to stand for. v

THAT'S what I was hoping would make national news.

 

But what's even more disturbing than the alleged securities fraud or

manipulation of drug approvals (at least to me) is the political

wheeling-and-dealing that got Crawford confirmed as FDA head to begin

with. You won't believe the details in the next Daily Dose...

 

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A World Hooked

 

Speaking of drug approvals, here are a few interesting tidbits about

the worldwide rise of pharmaceuticals from a recent Forbes.com article:

 

* In 2005, prescription drug sales broke the $600 billion mark for

the first time in history - a leap of 7% over the year before.

* Sales in the nine biggest markets (the U.S. included) grew by

5.7%, while sales in developing nations like Russia, Mexico, China and

South Korea averaged a blistering 81% growth year over year!

* Approximately 2,300 purely experimental drugs are currently

being tested on humans worldwide, while 212 more are in late-stage

human trials.

* So-called " biotech " drugs (protein-based, injected) grew 17% to

more 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 either

political party. Holding the reins to the domestic approvals of

tomorrow's prescription medications spells hundreds of billions of

dollars into the pockets of drug companies - and into the government's

coffers...

 

Only one thing is missing: Any kind of objective oversight or

accountability.

 

Welcome to the prelude of " pharmageddon. "

 

Thinking globally, acting vocally,

 

William Campbell Douglass II, MD

 

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