Washington Post:
Drug companies are particularly hungry for Democratic help, including the industry’s trade association. “We woke up the day after the election to a new world,” said Ken Johnson, spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. “We’re going to have tough days ahead of us.”
A post-election e-mail to executives at the drug company GlaxoSmithKline details just how tough. “We now have fewer allies in the Senate,” says the internal memo, obtained by the Washington Post. “Thus, there is greater risk over the next two years that bad amendments will be offered to pending legislation.” The company’s primary concerns are bills that would allow more imported drugs and would force price competition for drugs bought under Medicare.
The defeat of Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) “creates a big hole we will need to fill,” the e-mail says. Sen.-elect Jon Tester (D-Mont.) “is expected to be a problem,” it says, and the elevation to the Senate of Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) “will strengthen his ability to challenge us.”
The e-mail also mentions that Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) “has worked closely” with the company and that the firm’s PAC had supported six Democratic senators who faced reelection. “These relationships should help us moderate proposals offered by Senate Democrats,” the e-mail says.
Explaining the memo, GlaxoSmithKline spokeswoman Patricia Seif said: “It’s important that we’re knowledgeable about the positions of the members of the next Congress.”
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By investmentbanker, December 13, 2006 at 6:51 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Dont forget Biotech
Report thisBy Spinoza, November 23, 2006 at 5:09 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Death to Pharma, and death the the pharmaceutical industry!
Agreed
Big Pharma is the most corrupt of capitalist enterprise but all of capitalist enterprise is corrupt. Capitalism is inherently evil as its ethical belief is based on might makes right and greed.
Mr. hardrada
Please indicate where capitalist enterprise has aided the average consumer. AND I DON"T MEAN THE THEORY. I mean where in general do we see that the consumer gets good quality well made goods at the lowest price possible. I have never meet an apologist for capitalism who could show evidence for it. Hell even in the theory of the market both the consumer and seller are supposed to know all about what is bought and sold. Where is the evidence that this happens ---even in the majority of cases??? And that is only dealing with the theory of the market. What capitalism does to ordinary people is pure murder.
And you mention the Soviet Union ---just considering the economic situation, was the average Russian better off before or after the transfer to the evil capitalist system???
..
Report thisBy harald hardrada, November 23, 2006 at 8:53 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
republicans undermine capitalism by corrupting it—they grant tax breaks to the wealthy & they pass laws with loopholes exempting large corporations
democrats attack capitalism by demanding price controls & tariffs, which end up costing consumers money by shrinking the supply of the goods they want to buy—democrats also create & subsidize special interest groups that drain our resources
both parties back agricultural subsidies resulting in misallocated capital that lays waste to our rich topsoil & that costs consumers money by denying them the right to pay market prices for the goods they need
the best way to destroy capitalism is to bastardize it—anybody who thinks socialism will cure our ills ought to look at what happened to the soviet union, where clean, bare shelves greeted consumers who wanted to buy food & other basic goods
Report thisBy Lefty, November 23, 2006 at 8:44 am #
(Unregistered commenter)
Death to Pharma, and death the the pharmaceutical industry!
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