Jay Trucks and Associates Legal Blog

If political influence is measured by the amount of money contributed, then the pharmaceutical industry is in a league of its own. Sally Pipes claims that $136 million of contributions from trial attorneys is evidence of an attempt to curry favor. She fails to mention that the pharmaceutical industry devoted more than $675 million to lobby Congress, not to mention another $133 million in direct contributions and more than $50 million to political action committees.
In Michigan, drug industry money resulted in an offensive law that completely denies citizens the right to sue and immunizes drug companies when their products kill or harm people.
The drug industry money devoted to buying off politicians has had wonderful results. The industry controls appointments to FDA boards that decide what drugs are to be approved. It blocks the development of low-cost alternatives. Drug companies have changed the rules of Medicare, resulting in windfall profits at the expense of the elderly. They have also protected profit margins of more than 1,000% and blocked the ability of the poor and elderly to purchase the same drugs in foreign countries at half the price.
If it were just a matter of obscene profits, it might be arguably acceptable. But those profits come at the cost of human lives and suffering. The massive amount of money given to politicians protects not only profits but also shields the drug companies from the harm they cause. The only way we have to expose the cover-ups has been jury trials. The money from drug companies has so intimidated regulators that the only means you or your family has to reveal the truth and get justice is a lawsuit.
According to numerous studies, the cost of medical care due to lawsuits is less than one-tenth of 1%. There are fewer medical malpractice lawsuits than ever, and the verdicts are significantly lower. The cost of medical insurance premiums is unrelated to lawsuits. During the same time that lawsuits are dwindling, the cost of medical malpractice insurance has risen dramatically, even in states with tort reform.
Written By: Geoffrey N. Fieger
Southfield