Political Quotes

“the first Vioxx lawsuit to reach trial is currently being played out in Texas. The case focuses on the needless death of Robert Ernst, a produce manager at Wal-Mart who also ran marathons and worked as a personal trainer. He took Vioxx for 8 months before he died of an irregular heartbeat. As the New York Times reports today, it turns out that Merck and other pharmaceutical companies may have knowingly misrepresented the dangers of its drug, Vioxx, to doctors and patients and the public as a whole. Yet, while this trial is going on, this Congress is planning on protecting the pharmaceutical industry from such lawsuits. On the right side of the screen, a family is fighting an injustice. On the left side of the screen, this Congress is mounting a rear-guard action to protect the pharmaceutical industry. If next week we plan on bringing up the medical malpractice legislation and have a blatantly beneficial provision for the pharmaceutical industry and only the pharmaceutical industry, I will introduce the Vioxx amendment to strip the bill of this provision. ____________________”