CHINA HAS A SOLUTION FOR THE FDA's PROBLEM
By Byron J. Richards, CCN
http://www.newswithviews.com/Richards/byron32.htm
May 30, 2007
NewsWithViews.com
The penalty in China is death, in America its business as usual. Zheng
Xiaoyu, the former head of Chinaâs FDA, was sentenced to death for accepting
$832,000 in drug company bribes and for dereliction of duty. Like China, our
country is in the middle of a drug and food safety crisis. Why is FDA
Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach, M.D. getting a free pass? Why did the
Senate just pass legislation (S.1082) that gives von Eschenbach significantly
more power to do whatever he pleases? And exactly what is it that von
Eschenbach is doing?
The Next Vioxx
On June 6, 2007, Henry Waxman (D-CA), Chairman of the House Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform http://oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1325
will haul in Andrew von Eschenbach to testify on why the FDA failed to warn
Americans of the extreme cardiovascular danger and increased risk of death from
taking Avandia, a 3 billion-a-year blockbuster diabetes drug made by
GlaxoSmithKline. Statistics that were primarily obtained from
GlaxoSmithKlineâs own research data predict that 35,000 people needlessly
died taking Avandia last year and the FDA was fully aware of the risks and
chose to ignore them. In fact, the problem only came to public view because one
independent researcher pursued the investigation and published his findings in
the New England Journal of Medicine. This is the FDAâs job, why do we need
citizen watchdogs to do the work instead?
It is certain that during Von Eschenbachâs testimony he will speak out of
both sides of his mouth and cover the FDAâs ineptitude and deceit. He is
likely to blame a lack of FDA funding for the problems. In reality, the FDA is
not at all as incompetent and under funded as they seem. The truth of the
matter is that the FDA does exactly what they want. The FDA spends its time,
energy, and money on managementâs priorities.
It is hard for some to grasp that safety of drugs or safety of the food supply
is not the top FDA management priority. In the case of Avandia, Americans are
being needlessly killed as a result of FDA management decisions. These
decisions preserve the profits of drug companies and further the myth that
drugs are the answer to our health problems. Do not be misled, FDA actions are
intentional.
The timing couldnât be worse for the FDA as Waxman is preparing the House
version (HR.1561) of the recently passed Senate drug safety bill (S.1082). The
Senate version is a fake safety bill paid for by Big Pharma. Will the House
follow along or will they put some real teeth in the legislation?
How Does One Define Dereliction of Duty?
The dictionary defines it as a deliberate neglect of duty or obligations.
Certainly, Avandia is a case in point. However, Avandia problems are the tip of
the FDA iceberg. Anyone caring to look will find a rabbit hole so deep and so
full of stench that it is virtually impossible to comprehend. The story is so
bad that it falls into the category of not believable. Under the leadership of
Andrew von Eschenbach collusion with the industries the FDA is supposed to
regulate has reached an all time high. This reckless behavior has resulted in
deaths and injuries to hundreds of thousands of Americans, all for the profit
of drug companies at the expense of human health.
A case in point is the antibiotic Ketek, which the FDA approved for broad
applications KNOWING it was going to injure children. Von Eschenbach even
threatened FDA scientists who didnât see the Ketek issue his way. Then there
is the case of the atypical antipsychotic Zyprexa, which the FDA approved for
use in adult schizophrenics even though the FDA knew the drug caused obesity
and diabetes. The FDA sits around allowing billions of dollars of this drug
(mostly at taxpayer expense) to be given to children for mild behavioral
issues, an unapproved use that leads to extremely poor health and disease. Then
there is the Trasylol scandal, a very expensive cardiovascular bypass drug that
needlessly sentences 15,000 Americans per year to premature death within the
next 5 years. When Bayer was caught directly lying to the FDA regarding
Trasylolâs dangers, von Eschenbach deflected legal liability
http://www.newswithviews.com/Richards/byron19.htm for Bayer by doing virtually
nothing and leaving the drug on the market. These are just a few examples,
there are unfortunately many more.
The common theme is that FDA management intentionally hides risks of drugs so
that drug companies can turn them into blockbusters, oftentimes selling them in
ways that were never approved in the first place. As chilling safety problems
are reported to the FDA the organization fails to act, partly so it wonât
look bad for approving the drugs in the first place, partly to preserve
billions in profit for various companies, and partly because FDA management
employees are often eyeing high-paying jobs in the industry that is being
regulated. It is not that the FDA is incompetent. In fact, FDA scientists
routinely warn management of the problems. Management intentionally does not
act in a way that protects American consumers. In virtually all cases the
economic situation of drug companies is placed ahead of human health and
safety. In my way of looking at the world this is dereliction of duty.
This is as true of drugs as it is of our massively adulterated food supply
(genetically modified foods, viral cocktails approved as food additives,
chemicals allowed on food, chemicals allowed as flavoring agents or sweeteners,
etc.). The FDA has no way to trace the toxicity of genetically modified food
and actively prevents labels that would tell consumers they are even eating the
garbage, which now permeates the packaged foods on grocery store shelves. At
the same time the FDA actively works to suppress information about natural ways
to improve health. All of these FDA actions are intentional.
China gives the death sentence for dereliction of duty. In America we conduct
hearings (sometimes) and then do nothing. Big Pharma and Big Biotech own the
FDA, the White House, and much of Congress.
The FDAâs Real Priority
Andrew von Eschenbach has never hidden his agenda; it is more an issue that
people simply arenât paying attention. The top priority of the FDA is now the
von Eschenbach dream, which is to bring new biotech drugs to the market with
far less safety or effectiveness testing and then conduct experiments on
individuals as the drugs are used in clinical practice. This effort is called
the Critical Path Initiative and it will take a giant step forward should the
Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA come into existence as proposed in Senate
bill S.1082. Von Eschenbach has stated that this is the very top priority of
the FDA for many years to come (not food or drug safety).
Von Eschenbach is an oncologist who wants to create a cancer sickness industry
wherein nobody is cured; they are simply managed indefinitely on super
expensive medications. Von Eschenbach has led this effort for many years as a
key figure in the elder Bushâs C-Change, a group facilitating the development
of Big Biotech drugs for highly profitable cancer âtreatment.â
Andrew von Eschenbach took the top job at the National Cancer Institute to
forward this agenda. As its head he diverted billions of dollars of research
funding into C-Change companies and away from fundamental cancer research, a
shocking travesty. Even more appalling is that Tommy Thompson, then head of the
Department of Health and Human Services, approved a waiver
http://www.newslettersonline.com/user/user.fas/s=292/fp=3/tp=18?T=open_article,901522&P=article
allowing von Eschenbach to remain on at C-Change while he headed the National
Cancer Institute. This is one of the most dramatic conflicts of interest
imaginable, setting back vital cancer research at least a decade.
Tommy Thompson, like so many government officials, has moved on and now helps
Verichip http://www.adsx.com/pressreleases/2005-07-07.html sell implantable
RFID chips. In October of 2006 Von Eschenbach was appointed to head the FDA,
and for a while he held all three spots (C-Change, head of NCI, and head of
FDA). In the recent Lame Duck session von Eschenbach was made permanent head of
the FDA. No questions were asked of his extensive connections to the Biotech
industry.
It should come as no surprise that von Eschenbach wants to make the FDA part of
the drug development business
http://www.newswithviews.com/Richards/byron30.htm , including licensing and
marketing rights for the drugs the FDA helps develop with its sophisticated
software. Is it possible to imagine a greater conflict of interest? We are not
talking about a paltry $780,000 worth of conflict of interest, we are talking
tens of billions. Do you think for a moment the FDA will ever remove one of its
own drugs from the market or paint a clear picture of its true risks?
A Time for Action
Senate bill S.1082 and House bill HR.1561 will turn into some type of new and
sweeping FDA âreformâ before Big Pharmaâs funding of the FDA expires on
September 30 of this year. The big question is what will be in the legislation.
So far, Big Pharma was able to buy enough Senatorâs votes to neutralize any
meaningful reform. The Avandia scandal is likely to make matters worse for the
FDA as the House considers its version of this legislation after the Memorial
Day recess.
Buried within this legislation is an FDA sneak attack on dietary supplements.
Dietary supplements are routinely targeted by the FDA as they offer true
competition, both safe and effective, to drugs. The FDA acts as a police-force
bully to help stamp out Big Pharma competition and keep Americans in the dark
on natural ways to prevent and treat disease. Bill S.1082 allows the FDA to
apply drug-related risk benefit analysis to the safety of food and dietary
supplements and remove commonly used products from the market at their whim.
This must be stopped.
A take action letter can be found by clicking here.
http://www.newswithviews.com/Richards/byron31.htm
At least one hundred thousand people needlessly die per year at the hands of
Big Pharma drugs. Several million are injured so seriously they have to go to
the hospital â and unfortunately many are injured while at the hospital. The
FDA actively and intentionally withholds from doctors and patients the true
risk profile of many drugs despite the desperate warnings of its own safety
scientists and independent experts. There is no question that FDA top
management suffers serious dereliction of duty. Should we follow the lead of
the Chinese? Maybe then drug safety and food safety would improve.
© 2007 Truth in Wellness, LLC - All Rights Reserved
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