Vioxx and Celebrex Conspiracy?

Is it fair to say that President Bush and the makers of Vioxx (Merck) and the maker of Celebrex (Pfizer Inc.) have entered into a conspiracy to limit the liability of pharmaceutical companies and therefore infringe on the rights of American citizens? You be the judge . . .

In late September of 2004 the FDA ordered the recall of Vioxx after studies showed that it increased the risk of serious heart problems. This was followed by an avalanche of Vioxx class action lawsuits, filed on behalf of those that had been injured or killed by Vioxx use.

Shortly thereafter, another study showed that two other COX-2 type drugs, Celebrex and Bextra also caused similar heart problems. The drugs, Celebrex and Bextra were not recalled but all advertising for them was halted.

About this time President Bush arrived on the scene and began promoting a piece of legislation that would sharply limit the liability of the drug manufacturers. In fact it would cap damage awards at just $250,000. Bush was quoted as saying,

"...What's happening all across this country is that lawyers are filing baseless suits...That means you're paying for junk lawsuits every time you go to see your doctor...", but Bush's own Congressional Budget Office estimated that malpractice costs are approximately 2% of health care costs while pharmaceutical cost are between 12 and 16%.

"If President Bush wants to create more affordable and accessible health care, he should allow Americans to buy their prescription drugs through bulk purchasing programs as Canadians do and he will reduce health care costs by up to 10%," said Jamie Court, president of the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights. "The President should not be scaring the public into falsely believing they must give up their right to go court out of fear of losing their ability to go to an emergency room."

Joan Claybrook, President of Public Citizen had this to say,
"President Bush doesn't let facts get in the way when it comes to his political goal of dismantling the legal system. He prefers to coddle campaign contributors, rather than protect consumers and patients."

Frank Clemente, director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch added,
"This is not a debate among reasonable people. It is a massive campaign of distortions carried out by the administration in league with its business allies. The fact is, the emperor has no clothes."

So, here are the facts. The drug companies don't want to have to pay damages when faced with class action lawsuits concerning drugs like Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra. President Bush is on the side of the drug companies. He wants to limit your right to file suit and he wants to limit your award should you happen to win. Just one more fact . . . . the drug companies donated millions of dollars to the Bush re-election campaign.

For a related story: Vioxx Lawsuits