Corruption with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is not something brand new. For years now, many Americans have suspected them of being in cahoots with drug manufacturers. With numerous drugs getting pushed with questionable potential side effects, it is suspicious when you look at it.
Multiple House Committees have spent 18 months looking at the FDA in regards to the Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm, and they released their findings on December 29th. According to the report, the FDA made a minimum of 115 calls, held no less than 40 meetings, and had tons of email exchanges over a year. Starting in July 2019, these were unusual interactions, and they failed to follow the FDA’s documentation protocols.
Most interestingly, the reports found that the FDA and Aduhelm maker Biogen had collaborated on a briefing document for the PCNS Advisory Committee, and that document failed to show the differing views between the FDA and Biogen. Following nine months on the approval trail, suddenly the FDA’s outlook on the drug changed radically, and the timeline was sped up dramatically.
This is especially concerning because Biogen canceled their clinical trials in March of 2019 due to an independent report that claimed that Aduhelm was ineffective. With the new FDA approvals, they were able to resume testing with an even bigger sample size than the clinical trials had allowed according to the report.
With a $56,000 price tag, the drug would present a significant financial burden to the Medicare patients the drug was targeted towards.
Taking advantage of senior citizens is something drug manufacturers have done for centuries. They have overpriced medications and made people choose between paying their bills to keep their homes going or keeping up with their medicine. While many manufacturers have been called out for this practice, it persists across the globe.
It isn’t exclusive to seniors, either. Children are at risk of this as well, and many families have felt the pinch of ever-increasing costs. Inflation has only served to drive these prices higher, and with no relief in sight, it’s about time the federal government starts looking at these crooks for taking advantage of the American medical system.
In the report, the committees ordered that the FDA ensure any interactions with drug companies are properly recorded. Additionally, they will create protocols to create joint briefing documents, as well as update their policies on industry guidance regarding Alzheimer’s drugs so they could regain the trust these business practices eroded. Further, they suggested Biogen as well as other drug sponsors inform the FDA of any safety concerns, and to have outsider input for the pricing of drugs going forward.
Steps like the report suggests are things that already should have been put into place for decades, but the liberals don’t want to see that. Instead, they want to keep making the drug manufacturers more money, so they keep sending over that sweet slush money for their campaigns. People like Nancy Pelosi have been making millions from their innovations as stock prices rise. Their insider information has been like holding the winning lotto tickets, so why wouldn’t they let them do whatever they wanted?
Drug reform is one topic conservatives have been trying to have addressed for years. The American people have been short-changed in getting the latest treatments, and as a result, they have been overpaying for drugs while they are cheaper in Mexico and Canada. It’s time the House committees and regular Americans stand up and tell them that enough is enough. They are one of the driving forces behind inflation and have bankrupted scores of people trying to stay healthy.
