Patrick Leahy: “Late Sunday night, Republican leadership slipped language into a lengthy appropriations conference report that will…”

“Late Sunday night, Republican leadership slipped language into a lengthy appropriations conference report that will immunize drug companies against reckless misconduct and will impede our ability to protect our citizens from the threatened avian flu pandemic. This provision is a gift to the drug manufacturers and will likely have a devastating effect on our ability to protect our constituents. Under the guise of a threatened pandemic, this legislation goes far beyond the scope of vaccine preparedness and includes language that is far more sweeping than any language previously passed by the House or the Senate. Instead of focusing on protecting American families from avian flu or ensuring that victims of any untested vaccine will be compensated for their injuries, the provision simply shields drug companies from any culpability for injuries caused by its actions. The scope of this immunity is so expansive that once the Secretary of Health and Human Services has declared a public health emergency even for a future threat, drug companies would not be held accountable for any injuries or deaths caused by the drugs they manufacture, including drugs that are not specifically used in a pandemic context. This is disgraceful and will deter Americans from taking vaccines and drugs if we ever experience a health crisis.…”