Dr. Mercola July 31 2007 16,643 views
On July 11, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill HR 2900, which grants additional power to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) while at the same time ensuring deeper financial ties between the agency and pharmaceutical companies.The law does make some efforts to reduce conflict of interest, including mandating the publishing of a clinical trials database and forbidding more than one FDA official with ties to the industry to sit on a drug decision panel.However, at the same time, the FDA will actually be allowed to work with drug and biotech companies to develop and launch new drugs. In an unprecedented conflict of interest, the new law places the FDA “in charge of drug design, drug patents, drug licenses, and the creation of new marketing entities/companies.”
The recent US legislation, HR 2900, takes conflict of interest to a new extreme. While there are some face-saving moves to make the bill palatable, such as making sure that an unlimited number of industry shills can no long sit on drug decision panels, HR 2900 for the most part ties the FDA even more tightly to business interests. What’s more, in a blatant move to benefit the drug companies, it also ensures that dietary supplements can be removed from stores at will.
This comes not long after the U.S. Senate passed bill S1082 -- The FDA Revitalization Act, which also threatens dietary supplements and health freedom. Unfortunately, U.S. Rep. and presidential candidate, Ron Paul’s attempts to create legislation that would limit the FDA’s authority over supplements have been blocked.Now, more than ever, it is up to you to look out for your own health. The FDA will not protect your health, nor will any other government agency.
The FDA views the drug industry as its client. Within the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, about 80 percent of the resources are geared toward the approval of drugs and 20 percent is for everything else. Drug safety is a measly 5 percent. This speaks loads about their priorities. It is NOT about protecting you -- it is about approving drugs as quickly as possible so the drug companies can reap their profits.
Congress not only created that structure, but they horribly worsened it 15 years ago with the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) by which drug companies actually pay money to the FDA so they will review and approve their drug. This creates an absolutely massive conflict of interest and fox-guarding-the-henhouse phenomenon. And the new laws that have just been passed do not change that relationship even a tiny bit.
I for one never voted for the sociopaths that started this immoral Iraq war, the antichrists that are pulling our country, our world, out from under our feet. They fixed both elections, but they couldn't have done this if more people had voted against them. They are destroying what little democracy we had. We need to take back our country. Wish I knew how.
"I for one never voted for the sociopaths that started this immoral Iraq war"
All 400+ or so of them! I didn't vote for any of them either. I try to avoid voting either letter of this one-party system. Ron Paul is the only politician from either party that will get me to the polls for the primaries and would have me voting for either an R or D come election time.
"They are destroying what little democracy we had."
Actually, they are destroying the republic we had for an illusion of a democracy. Democracies don't work, it has been proven repeatedly throughout history.
In response to Ben Franklin, I think it is plain to see, we can't keep it!
I have to say, I agree with everything else posted here.
I write my purchased politicians all the time. Usually I get a form letter response that has little to nothing to do with what I wrote them about. Recently they have been staying on topic but giving answers equivalent to "it is the law, therefore it is right"
A great site for receiving updates on such issues is http://www.downsizedc.org
They don't cover all the issues, but they do cover a lot of them with email updates (if you choose) and they have a simple to use "contact" system to write your own purchased politician.
PepperR23,
If you are using FireFox, that is your problem. Whoever Mercola has programming his site, doesn't appear capable of programming correctly for browsers better than IE.
This is good news. How do liberals work? Facts never are considered; just do anything to control people; immoral, illegal &/or wrong to force their will & desires everyone else. This is nothing new. Liberals i.e. communists, are evil people and need to be exposed. They are exposing themselves. Here is the answer. Stop using any type of drug, prescription/over the counter. No demand, no big pharma. Stop being duped by the endless commercials. Follow Mercola, John Barron and all the rest. YOU DON'T NEED SYNTHETIC DRUGS! YOUR BODY WILL THANK YOU! THE ANSWER IS IN EACH ONE OF US. INDIVIDUAL INALIENABLE RIGHTS. STAND UP FOR THEM AND WE WILL GET OUR REPUBLIC BACK. GET OFF THE DRUGS AND FIND THE ALTERNATIVES. BETTER YET TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF NUTRITIONALLY AND DON'T GET SICK. IN 1991 I MADE A PLEADGE TO NEVER, EVER PUT ANY SYNTHETIC PRESCRIPTION/OVER THE COUNTER DRUG IN MY BODY, NEVER PUT IT IN MY MOUTH, NEVER SWALLOW IT. 16 YEARS LATER AND THE COMMITMENT STANDS. IF I CAN DO IT, SO CAN YOU. THE ONLY REASON BIG PHARMA AND GOV IS DOING THIS IS BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE ME WHO HAVE STOPPED CONSUMPTION. DON'T TAKE THEIR DRUGS AND THEY'LL BECOME OBSOLETE. FIND DOCTORS WHO DON'T TREAT PEOPLE WITH DRUGS FIRST. FIND DOCTORS whose TRUE GOAL IS TO HEAL. FIND DOCTORS WHO KNOW THAT DRUGS DO MORE HARM THEN GOOD & PRACTICE WHAT THEY KNOW. BETTER YET, BECOME YOUR OWN DOCTOR & TAKE CARE OF YOUR OWN HEALTH. THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO EAT DRUGS ARE AT THE MERCY OF THEIR DRUG DEALERS. JUST ASK ANY COCCAINE/HEROINE ADDICT. MAKE THE CHOICE TO NOT BE AT THE MERCY OF DRUG DEALING BIG PHARM & THEY'LL GO AWAY. NO LAW REQUIRED. THE POINT IS, WE ARE WINNING AND THE FDA & BIG PHARMA ARE REACTING TO IT. THEY CAN'T RELY ON THE EFFICACY/GOODNESS OF THE PRODUCTS THEY MARKET. THEY HAVE TO RESORT TO STRONG ARM TACTICS/LIES, ETC. A TRUE SIGN OF LOSING THE WAR. THEIR SELF GUILT EXPOSED! SO TAKE HEART! WE ARE WINNING! KEEP IT UP! EAT WHOLEFOODS, EXERCISE AND SUPPLEMENT. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! YOU CAN DO IT, SO DO IT!
Maybe in a perfect world or sometime after our generation;as long as politicians are self-serving and forgetting their constituents,it won't happen.Kevin Truddeau said it simply and succinctly:"It's always about the money!"(Other than that quote,I have no use for him.)See,congressmen and women have their hands in Big Pharma's pocket.Give them payola and votes and,voila,legislation appears that protects them,NOT John Q Public!
Get rid of party politics;that's a good starting point!I don't vote for parties;I vote for people and ,sometimes,I regret it later,but to vote for a party is close-mindedness at its worst!
The point is,the courts are as corrupt as any other government entity today and the US Supreme Court is NO exception.They should be elected by the public and not appointed by the president.Remember this if nothing else;A government that fears its people trys to rule its people.
As bad as all of this is, I think a lot of the public are becoming self-educated.Remember, you don't have to take any drug. They still can't force them down your throat. I have a friend who has leaky gut. Her doctor gave her an acid blocker and Tylenol. She came home, threw the drugs away and went to her nutritionist for help. The nutritionist is using elimination and rotation diets, is doing more digestive function testing, including looking for parasites (which the doctor says doesn't exist in anything other than third world countries), and my friend is now on aloe vera, fish oils, a supplement that is anti-inflammatory (mostly spice based), glutamine and a probiotic. She told me that she only uses her doctor for testing and for a diagnosis to rule out serious disease. She doesn't ever take any of the drugs her doctor wants to put her on.
Dear SarahB,
Is that the same "Glutamine" that is the "G" in MSG?