Senator Asks Pfizer About Harvard Payments

[RamboLiberal]

Source: NY Times

Senator Charles E. Grassley on Tuesday asked the drug maker Pfizer to provide details of its payments to at least 149 faculty members at Harvard Medical School.

The senator, who is investigating the drug industry’s influence on the practice of medicine, also asked for any Pfizer e-mail, faxes, letters or photos regarding Harvard medical students who have protested against drug company influence.

Mr. Grassley, in a letter to Pfizer, wrote that he was “greatly disturbed” to read a New York Times article Tuesday describing a Pfizer representative’s taking cell-phone photographs of the medical students last October at a campus demonstration against industry influence.

“I find this troubling as I have documented several instances where pharmaceutical companies have attempted to intimidate academic critics of drugs,” he wrote.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/04/business/04pfizer.html?hp

[phillysuse]

1. Go Grassley, he should also look at the Merck payments

Dr Michael Weinblatt, of Harvard, who was on the advisory committee to Merck when they decided to recommend the release of Vioxx owned over $70,000 in Merck stock at the time and received a consultantcy fee from Merck just after Vioxx went on the market. NPR did a story on this and you can hear it at the npr web site.

One of my friends died of an arrythmia while taking Vioxx. I regard Harvard and Michael Weinblatt as well as Merck as having a role in his death.

[Demeter]

2. Yes, Please Do!

Pfizer killed my city. Among others.

[kestrel91316]

3. Hey. Pfizer ain't all bad. They gave us Convenia, the holy grail of cat antibiotics.

Single injection gives up to two weeks of coverage. No pills, no eyedroppers. Easy peasy. Owner noncompliance no longer an issue.

IMHO they deserve a Nobel for that one!!!!

[KamaAina]

6. Not to mention Viagra

:evilgrin:

[tomm2thumbs]

4. this is how Republicans can start making points with Americans

if Democrats don't want to be left in their wake, they had better step up to the plate.

[RufusTFirefly]

7. Exactly right. Democrats and Republicans should be serving their constituents

That'd be you, me, and the little old lady from Dubuque. Not some bloodsucking pharmaceutical behemoth that would calculate the cost/benefit of your wrongful death on its balance sheet.

[RufusTFirefly]

5. Grassley is an interesting guy

Every now and then he can surprise you. Pleasantly.
If I remember correctly, he spoke out on Sibel Edmonds' behalf.
It's a reminder that ethics and conservatism aren't always mutually exclusive.

I've always been a proud liberal Democrat, but I wouldn't mind returning to the days when I could respectfully disagree with Republicans instead of just thinking they were pond scum, which is generally how I feel about them these days.

[bertman]

9. Well put, Rufus T. I remember those days myself.

[No Elephants]

14. It may be about individual politicians, not "days." Joe McCarthy was

certainly no prince. Neither was his good friend and last supporter, "states rights, not civil rights" Goldwater. Nor Nixon.

And, I think Pubs have done bad things behind the scenes. People just knew less a few decades ago.

Thing is, these days, because of the Internet, echo chamber and 24/7 politics, it's not only Pub politicians who espouse evil junk. It's the Republican next door. Maybe that's who used to be more decent, not the Pub politicans.

JMO

[xchrom]

8. grassley cares about 'big pharma'? --

hardley -- how about grassley cares about sticking it to a an 'elitist' institution if he can get away with it.

[defendandprotect]

10. Thanks, Grassley --- !!! No thanks, Pfizer --- !!!

[defendandprotect]

11. Pfizer to provide details of its payments to at least 149 faculty members at Harvard Medical School"

and we have no laws against this --- ???

Buying of government, buying of legislators -- buying of medical faculty--!!!

[midnight]

12. I had no idea what these medical students are up against.

[crimsonblue]

13. i happened to have liked the Pharma freebies

I got free sporting tickets and all the Viagra pens I wanted.

[No Elephants]

15. What about Harvard U. Medical School's complicity in all this? Another alleged hotbed of liberalism

gone to Republican hell in a handbasket?

[Supersedeas]

16. the science of mooooneeeehhhhhhhyyyy