FDA Totally Run By Big Pharma
Robert Califf has recently been confirmed as the new head of the FDA, and with this news comes renewed fears about the reach and range of Big Pharma. We already see the desire to censor, intimidate and malign anyone in the natural health industry and given this man’s history, people are justly nervous.
From the article at Counterpunch:
“Last month, more questions about embedded conflicts of interest at the FDA were raised when Commissioner Hamburg appointed Robert Califf, M.D., chancellor of clinical and translational research at Duke University, as the next FDA Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco despite a thicket of conflicts of interest. It was one of her last official acts before announcing her resignation last week.”
And his conflicts are long: Dr. Califf lists financial links to Gambro, Regeneron, Gilead, AstraZeneca, Roche, served as a director, officer, partner, employee, advisor, consultant or trustee for Genentech, as well as for Medscape LLC / theheart.org, served on the board of directors at Portola Pharmaceuticals, received research grant support from Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson/Scios, Lilly, Merck, and Schering Plough, and received consulting fees from Annenberg, Aterovax, Bayer/Ortho McNeil, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, GSK, WebMd/theheart.org, Johnson and Johnson/Scios, Kowa Research Institute, McKinsey & Company, Medtronic, Merck, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi Aventis, and Schering Plough, and has an equity position with NITROX, LLC.
WHAT?
As Counterpunch so aptly put it, “…the FDA is no longer even making a pretense at policing industry/government conflicts of interest.” Yes we have come to expect this but it’s still incredibly hard to believe. It seems the man most worthy for the job is someone who believes the FDA is nothing more than a wing of the Big Pharma machine.
If left unchecked that could mean that whoever funds the drug study, decides what drug get to market- whether or not they are safe or effective. Yes this is worst case scenario talk but with the head of the FDA having defended Vioxx in the past, the same drug that caused at least 50,000 heart attacks before its withdrawal from the market(and Merck knew about the cardio effects but marketed the drug anyway), one has to wonder.
From the article at Health Impact News:
“Califf has gone on record that collaboration between industry and regulators is a good thing. He told NPR, ‘Many of us consult with the pharmaceutical industry, which I think is a very good thing. They need ideas and then the decision about what they do is really up to the person who is funding the study.’
We are so thankful for our friend Mike at Natural News, and countless other friends, who both take the time to inform the public and put their reputations on the line to bring truth. Now is the time when we need to be learning as much as possible about natural medicine and alternative healing practices before we lose the freedom to do so.
Take care Health Nuts.
Source: Natural News, Counterpunch and Health Impact News
