Tuesday News on BIG PHARMA Bill/FDA - sample letter to fax

[Guest guest]

S1082 Update – Tuesday's Activity

 

Fight Erupts on Senate floor: Senators Bribed by Big Pharma vs.

Senators not Bought Off

 

By Byron Richards, CCN

 

May 2, 2007

 

NewsWithViews.com

 

As the Senate continues to debate the Big Pharma-friendly sweeping

reform of the FDA a new problem for Big Pharma's prize Senators has

erupted and quickly turned into confrontation on the floor of the

Senate.

 

At stake is at least 10 billion dollars per year in exorbitant Big

Pharma profits. In one corner is Big Pharma-puppet Orrin Hatch(R-

UT), representing the Kennedy/Enzi drug cartel.

 

In the other corner is a majority of Senators lead by Byron Dorgan

(D-ND).

 

At issue is an amendment that Dorgan has added to S1082, one that is

vehemently opposed by the authors of the bill and by the White

House.

Dorgan's amendment calls for Americans to be able to purchase

prescription drugs from other countries.

 

This would bring to an end the Big Pharma price-fixing scam that has

Americans paying at least twice as much for the same drugs. Hatch

unsuccessfully pleaded with Dorgan

(while attacking him) to withdraw the amendment.

 

Bush is threatening to veto the entire bill if the Dorgan amendment

is part of the legislation.

 

The Safety Scam

 

The Kennedy/Enzi/Hatch/Clinton drug-cartel Senators are now in a

real jam. Dorgan has the votes to make his amendment stick. Hatch and

company have argued unconvincingly that the Dorgan amendment would

expose Americans to adulterated drug imports.

 

This is just another fake safety argument that holds no water and is

being made solely to protect the excessive profits of Big Pharma (as

is the entire bill).

 

It should now be crystal clear to the American public that those

behind this legislation have been completely purchased by the Big

Pharma lobby.

 

It is a complete joke that they are trying to pawn off this

legislation as " safety legislation. " This legislation is designed to

protect Big Pharma profits for the next 50 years, and include new

FDA regulatory powers that can be used to stamp out Big Pharma

competition – including dietary supplements.

 

Let your Senators know that you

support the Dorgan amendment.

 

A Vote is Likely on Thursday

 

Word from the hill is that all amendments and changes to this

legislation will be finalized by Thursday and a vote will take

place.

In addition to the Dorgan amendment several other amendments are

expected to come up – one very good and one very bad.

 

The good amendment will be proposed by Senator Grassley (R-IA) and

will seek to create an independent office within the FDA to monitor

the safety of drugs already on the market (this would be another big

blow to this legislation).

 

The bad amendment will come from the vitamin-hating Dick Durbin (D-

IL) who will try to place food safety legislation into this drug

safety bill. Not only is his amendment completely irrelevant to this

legislation, he will, as always, figure some way to attack dietary

supplements. I'll keep you posted.

 

We must also get our amendment, THE PEOPLE'S AMMENDMENT, into this

legislation (see action letter at following this article).

 

The People are Now Being Heard

 

We have word that the offices of Hatch, Harkin, Enzi, Kennedy, and

many other Senators are being flooded by your concerns regarding

what this

bill can do to undermine health freedom and your access to dietary

supplements. Their offices are seeking to tell those who get through

that we are confused and that the legislation is not about dietary

supplements.

 

Don't buy this for a second. We are not confused. The language in

the bill is crystal clear. It is a sneaky and devious wording buried

in the bill. The Senate drug cartel hoped we wouldn't notice.

 

On pages 106-107 it states:

 

" The purpose of the Foundation is to advance the mission of the Food

and Drug Administration to modernize medical, veterinary, food, food

ingredient, and cosmetic product development, accelerate innovation,

and enhance product safety….The Foundation shall [take] into

consideration the Critical Path reports and priorities published by

the Food and Drug Administration, identify unmet needs in the

development,manufacture, and evaluation of the safety and

effectiveness, including post approval, of devices, including

diagnostics, biologics, and drugs,and the safety of food, food

ingredients, and cosmetics. "

 

This language has been evaluated by Jonathan Emord, our nation's

leading attorney that defends health freedom, the man who has beaten

the FDA in court more than any other lawyer.

 

 

He states that this language gives the FDA, through this foundation,

broad new regulatory power that it currently does not possess,

including the authority to attack any

dietary supplement (which are food ingredients).

 

A simple amendment to correct this problem has been prepared by

Emord and is in the action

letter that follows. WE ARE BEING HEARD. KEEP SENDING IN YOUR

MESSAGES. There are two days to go. We can win this!

 

http://www.newswithviews.com/Richards/byron24.htm

 

 

http://www.newswithviews.com/Richards/byron23.htm

 

 

Anti S.1082 Food and Drug Revitalization Act

 

May 2, 2007

 

The Honorable (Senator First and Last Name)

Address

Address

 

Dear Senator [Last name here];

 

The issue of drug safety and access to drugs at a fair price is of

the utmost importance to myself and all Americans. In general, I am

opposed to Senate bill S1082: Food and Drug Administration

Revitalization Act,

as it does not go far enough to protect myself and my family from

the dangers of drugs.

 

As one of the 150 million Americans that rely on

dietary supplements to keep myself and my family well, I am

especially concerned that this legislation broadens FDA regulatory

power to harass functional foods and dietary supplements –which has

nothing whatsoever to do with drug safety.

 

It is vital that the terms " food " and " food ingredients " be removed

from this legislation. There must be no confusing the safety

of drugs and the safety of food and food ingredients – which are

governed by different laws.

 

This bill authorizes, on pages 106-107,

the creation of a new regulatory category that enables the FDA and

the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA to attack dietary

supplements and

functional foods.

 

This problem in the wording can be corrected with

this simple amendment – so as to be sure this legislation is about

drugs and drug safety only.

 

Amendment to Bill S1082

 

Purpose of the amendment:

 

The bill, S1082: The Food and Drug Administration Revitalization

Act, is

hereby amended to eliminate any reference to the terms food or food

ingredients, such that food and food ingredients will not be subject

to

any jurisdiction or control by the Regan-Udall Foundation for the

Food and Drug Administration.

 

Intent of amendment:

 

To eliminate from the bill any possibility that food or food

ingredients would be treated like drugs either for safety review

purposes or for

assessment of their efficacy. It is a fundamental tenet of food and

drug law that foods and food ingredients are presumed to be safe and

have to be established to be adulterated only if they present a

significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury

 

I am in favor of the Dorgan amendment that enables Americans to get

a fair price on prescription medication.

 

I am in favor of any Grassley amendment that offers an independent

office within the FDA to monitor the safety of drugs already on the

market.

 

I am opposed to the amendment being prepared by Durbin, as food

safety is a completely different issue and must be kept out of drug

safety

legislation so that there can be no confusion between drug safety

and food safety laws – which are quite different.

 

Sincerely,

[Your name here]

 

For Health Freedom,

John C. Hammell,

President

International Advocates for Health Freedom

556 Boundary Bay Road

Point Roberts,

WA 98281-8702 USA

http://www.iahf.com

jham

800-333-2553 N.America

360-945-0352 World