Repeal Drug Company Immunity Laws!

Tell Legislators Not to Put Drug Companies Before the Safety of Americans!

TAKE ACTION!

http://capwiz.com/a-champ/issues/alert/?alertid=8339976&queueid=573745971

Congress Passes Unprecedented Legislation Giving Immunity to Drug Companies

Legislative Process Abused by Exercise of Political Muscle and Parliamentary Trick

Despite vocal opposition by numerous consumer organizations, including A-CHAMP, Eagle Forum, Public Citizen and many first responder organizations (e.g., nurses, firemen, veterans) legislative trickery carried the day when Congress passed the "Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act".....

http://www.a-champ.org/documents/109hr2863_textDIV"E".pdf

..... far-reaching and unprecedented legislation giving liability protection to vaccine makers and preempting state vaccine safety legislation for pandemic countermeasures. Thousands of you sent emails, faxed letters and called your Representatives to oppose this legislation. Your voices were heard but the Leadership in Congress broke the rules in the dead of night to force this legislation through. Now that it is going to be enacted we must voice our opposition to this dangerous legislation and the deceptive process that resulted in its passage in Congress.

For a summary of the legislative trickery and abuse of process used to get this legislation was enacted go to A-CHAMP`s web site here:

http://www.a-champ.org/ImmunityLegislation.html

A-CHAMP ran a series of full page advertisements in the Washington Times, The Hill, Roll Call and Congressional Daily opposing this legislation. To see our advertisement go here:

http://www.a-champ.org/Scanned%20Ad%20from%20Congress%20Daily.pdf

And to see our letter to the President opposing the bill go here:

http://www.a-champ.org/LettertoPresidentBush.pdf

Below are some reasons why we oppose the so called "Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act." We urge you to write your Federal and State legislators to express your opposition to this unprecedented and unnecessary legislation. Many legislators have no idea of the effect of this bill. We need to educate them, tell them we oppose it and get this horrendous bill REPEALED!

1) The legislation allows use of Thimerosal in vaccines:

If the Secretary of Health and Human Services designates that a vaccine is a "covered countermeasure" Thimerosal (a mercury containing preservative) can be used in the vaccine, even if a state has enacting legislation banning or limiting the use of Thimerosal. Any state legislation covering vaccines would be rendered ineffective and Federal law would preempt all state provisions. This applies to any state provision governing vaccines, not just those provisions pertaining to Thimerosal.

2) The legislation provides immunity for ALL Drugs and Vaccines:

The language contained in the legislation applies to any drug, vaccine, or biological product that the Secretary of Health and Human Services deems a "covered countermeasure." This list could include any commercial drug like Tylenol and is not limited in any way to drugs or vaccines meant to treat a pandemic like avian flu. The far-reaching nature of the bill was misrepresented in Congress and in much of the media, where the legislation was presented as primarily concerned with preparations to combat the avian flu. Since the HHS Secretary has described everything from obesity to diabetes to heart disease as epidemics, under the term of this legislation many drugs and vaccines can be covered, whether or not the relate to dangerous pandemics or bioterrorism. There is a serious potential for abuse of this provision by an Executive branch of government known to be friendly to the pharmaceutical industry.

3) Under the legislation immunity can be granted to drug companies at ANY Time:

The immunity language depends on the HHS Secretary declaring that a health condition causes a public health emergency or that some health condition could become an emergency at some point in the future. There is nothing in the language of this legislation that requires an actual pandemic or health emergy to exist before the Secretary declares an emergency that triggers the immunity provisions. Thus the Secretary has broad authority to declare an emergency triggering drug company immunity at any time for almost any reason.

4) The legisaltion gives drug companies immunity for harm caused by their misconduct:

The immunity conferred on drug and vaccine manufacturers applies no matter what the drug company did wrong. Even if a drug company operates a dirty facility in which a batch of vaccines is contaminated, and that vaccine kills thousands of Americans, the drug company is immune from liability.

5) The legisaltion gives drug companies immunity for all acts short of assault or murder:

The legislation`s language explicitly protects drug companies who act recklessly or who are grossly negligent. An injured person`s claim can go forward only in the case where a drug company acted with such willful misconduct as to constitute criminal assault or murder. Anything less than criminal conduct is protected. This language provides the highest standard of proof known to civil law and is unprecedented.

6) Immunity for Murder unless the Secretary or the Attorney General Say Otherwise:

Even if a drug company has acted with "willful misconduct" as defined by this language, the drug company is still immune from accountability unless the Secretary or the Attorney General initiates an enforcement action against the drug company and that action is pending at the time a claim is filed or the action resulted in some form of punishment. So even if a drug company knowingly kills thousands of people, if no official enforcement action is taken, that company is still immune.

7. Vaccine Safey is Compromised by this bill:

The express purpose of this legislation is to encourage rapid production of sufficient doses of vaccine to inoculate most of the United States population. The vaccine manufacturers used blackmail to push the legislation by stating they would refuse to produce new vaccines, the avian flu vaccine for example, unless the legislation was enacted. The legislation would permit new vaccines to be rushed to market despite risks that would otherwise cause a legally vulnerable manufacturer to exercise caution. The tort system in America has historically been designed to discourage the use of risky products. This legislation changes all that. There exist sustances such as one call "MF59", an oil based substance designed to enhance the body`s immune reaction to a vaccine, that our public health authorities wish to use in vaccines in order to enhance production capabilities. In a recent broadcast of NBC`s Face the Nation Julie Gerberding, head of the Centers for Disease Control, told Tim Russert that "hamburger helper", public health`s nickname for MF59, woul be used to extend the supply of vaccines. MF59 is reported to have been used in an experimental anthrax vaccine given to members of the military causing a variety of autoimmune illnesses such as lupus and arthritis, and resulting in the death of a number of victims.

TAKE ACTION to tell your senator to repeal the "Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act."!

http://capwiz.com/a-champ/issues/alert/?alertid=8339976&type=ML

Make sure you read all the way past the list of the drugs.  The woman that signed below is a Budget Analyst out of federal Washington, DC offices.

Did you ever wonder how much it costs a drug company for the active ingredient in prescription medications?  Some people think it must cost a lot, since many drugs sell for more than $2.00 per tablet.  We did a search of offshore chemical synthesizers that supply the active ingredients found in drugs approved by the FDA.  As we have revealed in past issues of Life Extension, a significant percentage of drugs sold in the United States we obtained the actual price of active ingredients used in some of the most popular drugs sold in America.

contain active ingredients made in other countries.  In our independent investigation of how much profit drug companies really make,

The data below speaks for itself.

Celebrex: 100 mg                                               
Consumer price (100 tablets): $130.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $ 0.60
Percent markup: 21,712%



Claritin: 1 0 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $215.17
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.71
Percent markup: 30,306%



Keflex: 250 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $157.39
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.88
Percent markup: 8,372%



Lipitor: 20 mg
Consumer Price (100 tablets): $272.37
Cost of general active ingredients: $5.80
Percent markup: 4,696%



Norvasc: 10 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $188.29 Cost of general active ingredients: $0.14
Percent markup: 134,493%



Paxil: 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $220.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $7.60
Percent markup: 2,898%



Prevacid: 30 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $44.77
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.01
Percent markup: 34,136%



Prilosec: 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $360.97
Cost of general active ingredients $0.52
Percent markup: 69,417% 



Prozac: 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) : $247.47
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.11
Percent markup: 224,973%



Tenormin: 50 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $104.47
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.13
Percent markup: 80,362%



Vasotec: 10 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $102.37
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.20
Percent markup: 51,185%



Xanax: 1 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) : $136.79
Cost of general active ingredients: $0.024
Percent markup: 569,958%



Zestril: 20 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets) $89.89
Cost of general active ingredients $3.20
Percent markup: 2,809



Zithromax: 600 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $1,482.19
Cost of general active ingredients: $18.78
Percent markup: 7,892%



Zocor: 40 mg
Consumer price (100 tablets): $350.27
Cost of general active ingredients: $8.63
Percent markup: 4,059%

Zoloft: 50 mg
Consumer price: $206.87
Cost of general active ingredients: $1.75
Percent markup: 11,821%



Since the cost of prescription drugs is so outrageous, I thought everyone should know about this.  This helps to solve the mystery as to why they can afford to put a Walgreen`s on every corner.

Steve Wilson, an investigative reporter for Channel 7 News in Detroit, did a story on generic drug price gouging by pharmacies.  He found in his investigation, that some of these generic drugs were marked up as much as 3,000% or more. Yes, that`s not a typo.....three thousand percent!  So often, we blame the drug companies for the high cost of drugs, and usually rightfully so.  But in this case, the fault clearly lies with the pharmacies themselves.  For example, if you had to buy a prescription drug, and bought the name brand, you might pay $100 for 100 pills.  The pharmacist might tell you that if you get the generic equivalent, they would only cost $80, making you think you are "saving" $20. What the pharmacist is not telling you is that those 100 generic pills may have only cost him $10!

At the end of the report, one of the anchors asked Mr. Wilson whether or not there were any pharmacies that did not adhere to this practice, and he said that Costco consistently charged little over their cost for their generic drugs.

I went to the Costco site, where you can look up any drug, and get their online price. It says that the in-store prices are consistent with the online prices. I was appalled.

Just to give you one example from my own experience, I had to use the drug, Compazine, which helps prevent nausea in chemo patients.

I used the generic equivalent, which cost $54.99 for 60 pills at CVS. I checked the price at Costco, and I could have bought 100 pills for $19.89.  For 145 of my pain pills, I paid $72.57. I could have got 150 at Costco for $28.08.

I would like to mention, that although Costco is a "membership" type store, you do NOT have to be a member to buy prescriptions there, as it is a federally regulated substance.  You just tell them at the door that you wish to use the pharmacy, and they will let you in. (this is true)

Sharon L. Davis
Budget Analyst
U.S . Department of Commerce
Room 6839
Office Ph: 202-482-4458
Office Fax: 202-482-5480
E-mail Address: sdavis@doc.gov                                                   

PS… This is a very interesting read… I have not confirmed the numbers but even if it is 10% true… it makes you think.

20,000 who got anthrax shot were hospitalized

BY BOB EVANS

DAILY PRESS (NEWPORT NEWS, VA.)

http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051210/NEWS/51210003

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The Pentagon never told Congress about more than 20,000 hospitalizations involving troops who`d taken the anthrax vaccine, despite repeated promises that such cases would be publicly disclosed.

Instead, a parade of generals and Defense Department officials told Congress and the public that fewer than 100 people were hospitalized or became seriously ill after receiving the shot from 1998 through 2000.

They also showed Congress written policies that required public reports to be filed for hospitalizations, serious illnesses and cases where someone missed 24 hours or more of duty.

But only a sliver of those cases were reported, while the rest were withheld from Congress and the public, records obtained by the Daily Press show.

Critics of the vaccine, veterans` advocates and congressional staffers say the Pentagon`s deliberate low-balling of hospitalizations helped persuade Congress and the public that the vaccine was safe.

Keeping the actual number of illnesses secret contributed to a shorter list of government-recognized side effects for the drug, giving patients and physicians a false idea of what might constitute a vaccine-related illness or problem. Doctors are expected to know the full list of side effects and alert federal drug safety officials whenever they see a repeat of those symptoms.

Repeated evidence of the same adverse side effect after a vaccination is one of the most telling signs of a systematic problem with a drug or vaccine, as opposed to a coincidental relationship, vaccine safety experts say.

Lou Gehrig`s disease During the Daily Press` investigation of the vaccine and its effects, the newspaper found three cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - ALS, or Lou Gehrig`s disease - that the military hadn`t reported. The disease destroys muscles and nerves, is always fatal and rarely hits people younger than 45.

One of the three cases involves Navy Capt. Denis Army of Virginia Beach, Va. Army died in 2000, after developing symptoms less than a week after his first anthrax vaccination - and a few days before his 45th birthday. His widow filed the first public acknowledgement of his death and its temporal connection to the vaccine this year. That occurred after she talked to a Daily Press reporter and learned that she could file a report with the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS.

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Kristin Shemeley died of ALS in 2001, at 29. Her symptoms began about two months after her third shot, a sworn legal document detailing her illness says.

Before Shemeley died, she spent 14 months in Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where she was regularly visited by high-ranking military officers, said her mother, Ginger Shemeley of Quakertown, Pa. She says her daughter repeatedly told those generals and admirals that she was suffering because of the vaccine and even pleaded with one of them to stop giving it to troops. Several of those generals and admirals had promised Congress that such cases would be publicly reported to VAERS.

The military never filed a VAERS report on Kristin Shemeley. Ginger Shemeley filed one after her daughter died.

Col. John Grabenstein, director of the military`s vaccine agency, said no one from the military intentionally misled Congress or the public. He said the 20,765 hospitalizations merely followed vaccinations in time, without documented proof of a cause-and-effect relationship.

He said a statistical analysis showed that those who`d been vaccinated weren`t more likely to be hospitalized or likely to seek medical treatment than those in the military who hadn`t been vaccinated from 1998 through 2000.

Some medical experts say this approach doesn`t adequately address the problems of many people who report illnesses after anthrax vaccination. That`s because the approach is limited to comparing rates of illness involving one symptom or disease - instead of the complex combination of symptoms and illnesses that many veterans report after getting their shots.

The data that the Daily Press used to document the underreporting of hospitalizations came from a report that Grabenstein supplied in response to the newspaper`s request. It had never been made public.

It covers 1998 through 2000, when the Pentagon did detailed evaluations every three months to compare hospitalizations, clinic vis-its and medical treatment data for those who`d been vaccinated, compared with troops who hadn`t. This quarterly analysis stopped and hasn`t been done since, Grabenstein said.

The practice of not reporting all hospitalizations continues.

Quarterly analysis of the vaccine`s effects ended just as the nation`s only manufacturing site for the drug regained its license. That was in 2002, after federal inspections found many safety and other problems that prompted a shutdown and renovation that began in early 1998.

The company`s current manufacturing techniques provide greater potency compared with earlier versions of the drug, said the Government Accountability Office, Congress` investigative arm. The manufacturer, BioPort Inc., says there`s no difference in the drug made since 2002 that might cause health problems.

No long-term study The decision to discontinue the quarterly health monitoring program means that the biggest gap in research about the vaccine remains: There are no systematic long-term studies of the health of those who`ve taken the drug. Most studies that the Pentagon cites as support for the vaccine`s safety involve monitoring that lasted days to a few months.

None lasted as long as five years, the minimum length of time recommended by a nationally recognized panel of scientists assembled by the Institute of Medicine in 2002. The institute is a nonprofit organization that provides expert advice to Congress and other government agencies.

After the quarterly reviews of the vaccine`s effects stopped, more than a million troops were forced to take the vaccine - until a federal judge ruled last year that the drug had never been adequately licensed for protection against anthrax use in warfare.

He ordered the military to make vaccination voluntary. The Pentagon is appealing that ruling. A decision is expected by February.

Grabenstein said he decided to halt the quarterly studies after consulting the chairman of the Institute of Medicine panel and its staff, and with doctors affiliated with the military. He acknowledged that he didn`t consult the general who ultimately was responsible for the anthrax program.

The chairman of the institute panel, Brian Strom, said he didn`t recall what was discussed at the time about the quarterly reports. But he said, "I think they should continue to be using it," in case there`s a problem.

Another panel member, Linda Cowan, said she`s sure the committee expected quarterly reviews to continue and pointed to a number of the panel`s recommendations and findings that she said clearly contradicted Grabenstein`s interpretation of its report.

Strom and Cowan emphasized that they thought the vaccine was still safe.

Beth Clay isn`t so sure. She directed the staff of Congress` House Government Reform Committee investigation into the anthrax vaccine from 1998 to 2001. She continued working on the subject as a congressional staff member through 2003, after her Republican boss was no longer chairman of the committee.

Clay said the military`s decision not to report all the hospitalizations gave the public and Congress a rosier picture of the vaccine than it deserved.

"We were never given this data," she said. "Had we seen this, the committee would have had significant questions" and would have demanded more information about the program.

After reviewing the report obtained by the Daily Press, Clay said it raised several questions about the vaccine`s safety. She said Congress was never told about the detailed level of data in the report but was assured regular monitoring of the vaccine and its health effects would continue.

Terminating the quarterly reviews would seem to break those promises, she said. "It`s just appalling that they didn`t keep up with this," she said.

===================================================

Coalition for Informed Choice

Gary Krasner, Director

188-34 87th Drive, #4B

Holliswood, NY 11423

718-479-2939

CFIC@NYCT.net

www.CFIC.us

A simple friend, when visiting, acts like a guest. A real friend opens your refrigerator and helps himself

(and doesn`t feel even the least bit weird shutting your `beer drawer` with her foot!)

A simple friend has never seen you cry. A real friend has shoulders soggy from your tears.

A simple friend doesn`t know your parents` first names. A real friend has their phone numbers in his

address book.

A simple friend brings a bottle of wine to your party. A real friend comes early to help you cook and stays late to help you clean.

A simple friend hates it when you call after they`ve gone to bed. A real friend asks you why you took so long to call.

A simple friend seeks to talk with you about your problems. A real friend seeks to help you with your problems.

A simple friend wonders about your romantic history. A real friend could blackmail you with it.

A simple friend thinks the friendship is over when you have an argument. A real friend calls you after you had a fight.

A simple friend expects you to always be there for them. A real friend expects to always be there for you!

A simple friend reads this e-mail and deletes it. A real friend passes it on and sends it back to you!

ICPA Seminar Announcement!

Have you heard? We have good news!!

The ICPA has expanded its Certification program to a 180 Hour certification! We are very excited because we have added additional expertise to make this program the most comprehensive sought out program for Chiropractic Family Care.

Additionally our Diplomate program has been revamped to incorporate this advanced certification along with another 180 hours of constructive and practical curriculum for the practitioner.

Here are some highlights of our new certification program:

1- Board certification comes with attendance to our new 15 module program and successful completion of a comprehensive final exam.

2- Certification status is determined by an independent, academic board, the Academy of Chiropractic Family Practice.

3- Upon completion of the 180 hour course and its exam, candidates may move on to fulfill their remaining 180 hour Diplomate requirements.

4- For those members who have completed some or all of our previous certification requirements, classes will be grandfathered in towards our new board certification program on a case by case basis. Please e-mail us for your specific considerations.

Here are some highlights of our new Diplomate program:

1- The 180 hour certification program is a prerequisite to move on to the Diplomate program

2- Upon successful completion of the Certification hours, a candidate may make application towards the Diplomate program

3- The remaining 180 hours of the ICPA Diplomate program are fulfilled by practical, clinical application of the skills learned in the certification, contribution to chiropractic research and 4 advanced elective classes.

4- The final, comprehensive exam is held annually the first weekend in March.

5- Diplomate status is issued by the Academy of Chiropractic Family Practice.

6- Our new Diplomate program has cut the time and expense in half for the participating doctor. Additionally, it is offering a choice of classes for the doctor to pursue his/ her specific interests in Family Care.

7- Any doctors who have taken some of the ICPA classes from our previous years have the opportunity to grandfather these classes towards Diplomate requirements on a case by case basis. Please e-mail us for your specific considerations.

To view the instructors and curriculum for the 180 hour certification program visit: http://www.icpa4kids.com/seminars/core_curriculum.htm

To find a seminar location offering these classes near you visit: http://www.icpa4kids.com/seminars/all_locations.php

To read our new agreement pertinent to the 180 hour certification program visit: http://www.icpa4kids.com/terms.htm

Jeanne Ohm, DC, ICPA Executive Coordinator

This newsletter does not replace pure, principled, unadulterated chiropractic care!!!