MENENDEZ, GO TO HELL
Thanks, But No ThanksTonight, after the Senate Dems passed the motion to move forward with debate on health-care reform, I was personally pleased.But I was not pleased at all that the self-congratulatory word came from Sen. Robert Menendez, one of the New Jersey Dems involved in circumventing FDA review process in order to get approval for a potentially defective device made in the Garden State. The story is reported on below in Pharmalittle and summarized in this report from the NYT:http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/health

NYT TO PHARMA--FUGGEDABOUDIT
Reform for Raising PricesFollowing its earlier report about record-breaking increases on drug prices, the NYT today editorializes that Congress should abandon its "deal" with the drug industry, which traded industry support for healthcare reform for $80 B in price cuts, mainly to Medicare and Medicaid.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/opinion/18wed3.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=yThe industry claims are all those we've heard in every other context in which its interest has needed defending--the price of new drug development, meeting

DEVICE LOBBY TO HOUSE--SUSTAIN PREEMPTION!
In a statement released by Advamed, the medical device folks appear to be endorsing significant provisions of health-care reform as passed by the U.S. House. But they go out of their way to warn about compromising FDA preemption, framed in the code language of allowing states to create a variety of standards.See the statement here:http://presszoom.com/story_150419.htmlAs others have observed, it appears that the language of "tort reform" and "preemption" will be at the core of arguments used by those who would like to "bend the curve" of reform toward their particular interests.

Swine flu Vaccine - I think I'll.... nope not for me....
About the swine flu pandemic..I am sorry for people who get sick with the flu, I am deeply sorry for anyone who becomes gravely ill and for those families who have lost a loved one.At this point in time though, I am in morning over the missed opportunity we had to yet once again, teach our fellow human beings how to stay healthy. We've been extolled to wash our hands, get the vaccine. It goes much deeper than that. We should be sending flyers to homes about eating healthy, getting out in the fresh air, exercising....No, instead we are opting for the "quick fix solution" - which really isn't a fix at all.Follow the link to the article about how no flu v

600 Suits Against Medtronic Dismissed
The (Preemption) Beat Goes On.....FDA preemption in the arena of devices still rules in many cases. Here is a report about a judge in Minnesota who dismissed 600 cases against Medtronic over the Sprint Fidelis pacemaker.http://massdevice.com/news/minnesota-judge-dismisses-600-sprint-fidelis-suits-against-medtronicAs most here will know, there is a bill in Congress now that would amend the Medical Device Act in order to allow tort liability for FDA-approved medical devices.It is also