Maria Cantwell: “The Times-Tribune of Scranton, PA, said: . . . the prospect of a pandemic is being used by Congress to pander to the…”

“The Times-Tribune of Scranton, PA, said: . . . the prospect of a pandemic is being used by Congress to pander to the pharmaceutical industry. And: Congress should not use legitimate concerns about a flu epidemic as a wedge to protect the manufacturers from liability. I ask unanimous consent that it be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: [From the Times-Tribune, Dec. 12, 2005] Pandering Pandemic Fear of an avian flue pandemic has driven the government to find ways to increase the production of vaccines while improving monitoring and detection technology. Unfortunately, the prospect of a pandemic also is being used in Congress to pander to the pharmaceutical industry. The Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2005 would create a new federal agency that would be exempt from public disclosure laws, while superseding many of the functions now handled by public agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It would have the power to designate certain drugs as exempt from civil liability litigation. That measure cannot be directed at vaccines. According to a study of recent flu vaccine shortages by the Harvard School of Public Health, only 10 liability suits have been filed against vaccine manufacturers over the last 20 years. Most such claims are handled under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.…”