To: IAHF List
Subject: Pharma Cartel on DC Rampage: Biggest Lobbying Push in History; Supplement Industry Being Set Up For Destruction; IAHF Needs Donations NOW!!!
From: "IAHF-John Hammell" jham@iahf.com
Date: Mon, 1 Jul 2002 21:58:22

IAHF List: Please read the article below, the pharmaceutical industry is making an all out attack on the natural products industry RIGHT NOW with the largest lobbying push they've EVER made on Capital Hill. At the same time, Congress has given the FDA $10 Million since 911, ostensibly for the FDA to use to protect us from "terrorism" coming by way of food products from abroad, but the FDA is using this money to fund "research papers" by the pharmaceutically dominated "National Academy of Science" to "evaluate" the safety of dietary supplements. Thus, under the GUISE of "protecting us from terrorism" the TERRORISTS at the FDA have declared all out WAR against the natural products industry as part of the ongoing effort to set us up for harmonization to the EU Directives and Codex.

IAHF needs your donations now more than ever. IAHF just moved from Floyd to Blacksburg in order to get near Virginia Tech University and their videolab where I am going to learn to do video editting in order to produce a badly needed documentary to help wake up the supplement industry to how it is being led to the cliff by its own trade associations due to the control exercised by pharmaceutical interests within them.

The move to Blacksburg was not inexpensive, and at the same time, my closest DC ally also is in dire financial straights, having less than $300. to his name after a move he just had to make, and I sent him money to help with his rent and for car repair. I stay at this guys house when in DC. Your help is badly needed at this time. IAHF POB 10632 Blacksburg, VA 24060. If you have a debit or credit card, you can donate electronically via paypal at http://www.iahf.com Live outside the USA? The video documentary IAHF is working on will help catalyze opposition to the Pharma Cartel's evil plans world wide, so please donate, we're all in this together and the line of lobbyists on our side is very thin and poorly funded, we really do need your generous assistance at this time!

Questions?
800-333-2553 N.America
540-961-0476 World

John Hammell, President
International Advocates for Health Freedom
POB 10632
Blacksburg, VA 24060 USA

At 11:41 AM 7/1/02 +0200, you wrote:

This may be of interest.

It appears more urgent every day to actually act in two distinct ways: One is to of course supply all the positive data about natural products, their safety etc.

The other would be to discredit their lobbying force which at this time is nothing less than formidable (see below) by exposing their criminal behaviour.

Even if we don't know all their crimes now to expose, a steady push in that direction will activate others and will present new opportunities of which we are not aware at this time.

Kind regards
Josef

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Date: Sun, 30 Jun 2002 20:36:05 +1200
From: Juderon
Subject: Peddlers

http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/release.cfm?ID=1130

June 13, 2002

Biggest Drug Companies Expand Lobbying Army in 2001

New Report Shows Size, Strength, Connections of Drug Lobby as House Takes Up Medicare Rx Drug Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In 2001, the drug industry's army of lobbyists easily outnumbered all 535 members of Congress as pharmaceutical companies employed 623 different hired guns, according to a new Public Citizen report based on newly available data. These same drug lobbyists are expected to swarm Capitol Hill next week as the House Energy and Commerce and the House Ways and Means committees begin to mark up Medicare prescription drug legislation.

Public Citizen's report, The Other Drug War II: Drug Companies Use an Army of 623 Lobbyists to Keep Profits Up, found that the biggest drug companies and their trade associations spent 16 percent more on lobbying in 2001 than the previous year. This lobbying increase occurred even as lobbying by all industries appeared to decline in 2001.

The drug industry's arm-twisting paid off. Although the industry faced mounting pressure in 2001 from employers, senior citizens and politicians to make prescription drugs more affordable, drug companies lost no battles last year. Instead, they gained ground - and additional profits - thanks to legislation that extends by six months lucrative monopoly patent protections for drugs if manufacturers test them for safety in children.

That particular lobbying effort in 2001 provides a case study of the way the industry works on Capitol Hill. The biggest drug companies employed well-connected lobbyists, who played hardball with members of Congress. Then they built support for their position by funding a so-called "grassroots" coalition, run by a former drug company lobbyist, that claimed to represent sick children.

"Once again the drug industry demonstrated its slick, cynical and enormous lobbying prowess," said Frank Clemente, director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch. "This study explains why Congress is so far behind the American public when it comes to demanding more affordable medicine from the country's most profitable industry."

The full breadth of the drug industry's Washington, D.C., lobbying operation recently became public with the availability of almost all lobby disclosure reports for 2001. Using these reports, along with information about the lobbyists' "revolving door" connections, Public Citizen produced its third annual report on pharmaceutical industry lobbying. Findings include:

The 10 most active drug companies and industry groups boosted lobbying expenditures from $43 million in 2000 to $49.8 million in 2001 and increased the number of lobbyists they employed by 30 percent, from 417 to 540. Overall, drug companies spent $78.1 million on lobbying in 2001, bringing the total lobbying bill for 1997-2001 to $403 million. The companies employed 623 different lobbyists in 2001.

Twenty-three of those lobbyists are former members of Congress; 340 (54 percent) have "revolving door" connections, which means they previously worked in Congress or another branch of the federal government; and 32 are former staffers of the House Ways and Means or Energy and Commerce committees, which will consider Medicare prescription drug legislation next week.

The biggest increase in lobbying activity was by the drug industry's trade association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which increased spending from $7.5 million in 2000 to $11.3 million last year (a 51 percent hike). PhRMA spent more on lobbying than any other drug industry organization in 2001.

Four companies and PhRMA employed more than 50 different lobbyists each in 2001. Pfizer and PhRMA employed the most (each hired 82 lobbyists), followed by Bristol-Myers Squibb (76 lobbyists). Eli Lilly and Amgen each fielded 58 lobbyists.

In 2001, brand-name companies easily outgunned the generic companies they often compete with when it came to lobbying. Brand-name companies accounted for 97 percent of all pharmaceutical lobbying spending ($75.7 million out of a $78.1 million total). Brand-name companies also employed nine lobbyists for every one employed by generic companies.

"The 10 biggest drug companies saw their profits increase 33 percent in 2001, climbing from $28 billion in 2000 to $37.2 billion last year," said Clemente. "With those kinds of profits there's no telling how much larger this army will become in 2002 when a more aggressive battle is waged over a Medicare drug benefit."