Government of Business, By Business, For Business - Part I

That's not quite what the Founding Fathers had in mind, but that's the way it is.

During his first administration, President Bush appointed over a hundred industry lobbyists and lawyers to oversee the industries they lobbied and lawyered for.

Like at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is tasked with protecting the welfare of Americans, not that of business institutions. The Bush administration has turned that on its head:

... investigation suggests the FDA's actions against Canadian imports have been part of a concerted campaign to simultaneously discredit its counterpart agency in Canada, provoke fear among American consumers who buy their drugs there, blunt an exploding political movement among local and state governments to begin wholesale drug buys in Canada and ultimately preserve the inflated prices charged U.S. consumers and taxpayers. [Why We Pay So Much For Drugs Time Magazine subscription] (Story links open in new windows)

Part of the reason for that is Daniel E. Troy, who Bush appointed Chief Counsel to the FDA:

As a lawyer in private practice, Troy repeatedly sued the FDA, arguing that it had only limited ability to regulate drug companies. Troy also represented Pfizer through his firm, Wiley, Rein & Fielding.

At the FDA, Troy still is fighting for causes that benefit drug companies. [When Advocates Become Regulators 05/23/04]

Congressman Hinchey doesn't like that, either:

HINCHEY: FDA'S CHIEF COUNSEL SERVES INDUSTRY, NOT PUBLIC

U.S. Representative Maurice Hinchey (NY-22) today held a press conference to reveal information he has uncovered about actions taken by Daniel Troy, Chief Counsel of the Food and Drug Administration. Taking the counsel's office in a wholly unprecedented direction, Troy has repeatedly interceded in civil suits on behalf of drug and medical device manufacturers that were accused of harming patients who had used their products.

Hinchey provided evidence that Troy worked in cooperation with the manufacturers in taking these actions, that he ignored serious conflicts of interests, and that the FDA sought to mislead Hinchey in his efforts to investigate the matter.

Continued on the next page Page 1 — Page 2

Article Author: Hal Pawluk

Visit Hal Pawluk's author page — Hal Pawluk's Blog