Drug industry spends millions on US states: ($44 million lobbying states)

[RedEarth]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The pharmaceutical industry spent $44 million lobbying U.S. state officials during a two-year period with much of the money going to fight proposals that would have reduced prescription drug costs, according to report released on Thursday.

The Center for Public Integrity said industry representatives spent the money in 2003 and 2004, a time when more than half of all states were considering proposals to reduce the cost of medicines. Prescription medicines are one of the fastest-growing expenses for state governments, which are among the pharmaceutical industry's biggest customers, the report said.

The investigative research center analyzed lobbyist disclosure documents and records from the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) as well as conducted interviews with current and former state representatives.

PhRMA, the drug industry's main trade group, spent more than $4.5 million during 2003 and 2004. Four major drugmakers -- Eli Lilly and Co., GlaxoSmithKline Plc., Pfizer Inc. and Johnson & Johnson -- each spent $3 million.

Overall, more than 40 percent of the $44 million was spent in three large states that spend the most on prescription medicines -- California, New York and Texas, according to the report funded by The Nathan Cummings Foundation, the Joyce Foundation and the Ford Foundation

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle.aspx?type=domesticNews&storyid=2006-04-06T071326Z_01_N06387475_RTRUKOC_0_US-DRUGMAKERS.xml

[underpants]

1. And they will claim it is R&D (see this great link for R&D MYTHS)

Make sure you see the bolded section below

http://www.citizen.org/publications/release.cfm?ID=7065

The drug industry’s claim that R&D costs total $500 million for each new drug (including failures) is highly misleading. Extrapolated from an often-misunderstood 1991 study by economist Joseph DiMasi, the $500 million figure includes significant expenses that are tax deductible and unrealistic scenarios of risks.

The actual after-tax cash outlay – or what drug companies really spend on R&D – for each new drug (including failures) according to the DiMasi study is approximately $110 million. (That’s in year 2000 dollars, based on data provided by drug companies.) (See Section I)

A simpler measure – also derived from data provided by the industry – suggests that after-tax R&D costs ranged from $57 million to $71 million for the average new drug brought to market in the 1990s, including failures. (See Section II)

Industry R&D risks and costs are often significantly reduced by taxpayer-funded research, which has helped launch the most medically important drugs in recent years and many of the best-selling drugs, including all of the top five sellers in one recent year surveyed (1995).

An internal National Institutes of Health (NIH) document, obtained by Public Citizen through the Freedom of Information Act, shows how crucial taxpayer-funded research is to top-selling drugs. According to the NIH, taxpayer-funded scientists conducted 55 percent of the research projects that led to the discovery and development of the top five selling drugs in 1995. (See Section III)

[ConcernedCanuk]

2. Google "pharmaceutical terrorism USA" - - surprising results

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So many drugs have been "okay-ed" - then pulled off the market after disastrous side-effects

But the pharmaceutical companies made millions, if not billions in the interim.

One of the safest "drugs", not really a drug though - it's a herb that grows naturally, is marijuana - but that's illegal

Because it assists in many of the afflictions that are only allowed to be "cured" by the pharmaceutical terrorists.

Sumthing to think about. . .