A seven-thousand-five-hundred-dollar hand-tailored business suit. A fifteen-hundred-dollar designer tie. A four-hundred-fifty-dollar belt. Twenty-five-hundred dollar hand-made shoes. Three-hundred-fifty-dollar hand-made silk underwear. And, a twenty-five-thousand dollar hand-made watch.
Who’s wearing this? Every one of the roughly seven thousand lobbyists working for “Big Pharma” trying to get laws, and treaties, favorable to their aims, through the US Congress. They dress like this for two reasons (1) with the money “Big Pharma” is paying them they can afford to, and (2) they want to make “the right impression.”
Opinion by Consumer Advocate Tim Bolen
Their current project is to get CAFTA (the Central American Free Trade Agreement) passed. It’s important to them – and they’ve pulled out all of the stops.
Why are they pulling out all the stops? Two reasons (1) As the New York Times reported July 2nd, 2005, in their article “Drug Lobby Got a Victory in Trade Pact Vote” passing CAFTA is at the top of “Big Pharma’s” list, for it gives them a total monopoly in Central America, and (2) the language in CAFTA, section six, sets up the complete destruction of “Big Pharma’s” major competitor for US health dollars – the American supplement industry
Yes, it’s true that the “Codex Alimentarius” commission in Rome, July 4th, 2005, passed restriction of supplement guidelines that would, in effect, destroy the supplement industry in it’s entirety – except for that controlled outright by “Big Pharma.”
Yes, it’s true that the “CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement)” legislation currently being rushed through the US Congress contains, within its language, the mechanism to force “harmonization” of US laws to “Codex” requirements destroying the protection afforded under the1994 DSHEA (Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act) law.
Yes, it’s true that “Big Pharma” is behind this move – they have that much power and money The “German Model” of health care will now be the law of the land – in every land. For now…
But, this time “Big Pharma” is in a death struggle…
The dismantling of the “health” industry, and the surrounding “health freedom” movement, worldwide, by force, has begun. “Big Pharma” in its murderous arrogance, has decided that it is big enough, and strong enough, to rule humanity.
They’re wrong – they’re not that big. They’re not that strong.
In actuality, “Big Pharma,” itself, is under siege. Their murderous policies have gotten them attention they should have avoided. An attention that isn’t going to go away. Their policies have gained attention the same way the Nazi war machine got the free world’s attention – and they are going to see a similar result.
The total, absolute destruction of “Big Pharma.” It’s time.
The war is on – and they are not winning – despite the tankers-full of cash they deliver to US television media, and State and Federal legislators. Why? There is a tough, well organized opposition – the worldwide “health freedom” movement.
In Rome, this month, the “health freedom” movement lost to “Big Pharma,” the “Codex Alimentarious” battle in Rome – sort of. Restrictions placed on supplements, that if left in place unanswered, would destroy the whole idea of “health” worldwide. Of course, the health freedom “response” is already being readied.
However, in another Planet Earth battle this month, in the European Court of Justice, the “health freedom movement” upset years of “Big Pharma” deviousness, manipulation, and maneuvering when that Court, reviewing the Alliance for Natural Health’s (ANH) lawsuit over the so-called “EU Food Supplements Directive”, decided to keep the “risk assessment” guidelines, but to ONLY apply them to supplements made in “Big Pharma” laboratories – not those based in natural ingredients normally found in the human diet. Had the “EU Directive” stood as it was, most supplements would have been removed from European shelves August 1, 2005. Now, that won’t happen.
You can read about the ANH victory by clicking here.
The biggest battle is still in the United States…
The biggest “health freedom” battle is still in the United States, because this is where the money is… By my estimates, prescription drugs in the US are two to ten times more costly in the USA than anywhere else. The average prescription, I believe, in 1999, before the US FDA allowed “Big Pharma” to advertise directly to the public, was about $30. That same prescription now is about $140. “Big Pharma” is forcing US fixed-income seniors to make choices, each month, between food or drugs…
And, I believe, “Big Pharma” is using that money for devious purposes.
But, what do we need to do about it? Read the answers in “Big Pharma Stabs Planet Earth.”
Stay tuned…
Tim Bolen – Consumer Advocate