Richardville, Kahn Belittle Victims, Refuse to Protect MI Citizens from Deadly Drugs
Richardville calls protection for drug victims ‘frivolous’ while Kahn repeats drug giants’ lie
LANSING – State Sen. Randy Richardville called an effort to protect Michigan citizens from deadly drugs like Vioxx, fen-Phen, and Rezulin “frivolous” while State Sen. Roger Kahn – a cardiologist – put the drug industry ahead of people during TV interviews on Wednesday. The two senators refused to repeal Michigan’s one-of-a-kind drug immunity law, which remains stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate.
“There is nothing ‘frivolous’ about losing a loved one to Vioxx and Sen. Richardville owes every Michigan citizen an apology for his outrageous remark,” Progress Michigan Executive Director Dan Farough said. “As a cardiologist, Sen. Kahn should be in the business of protecting patients, not the powerful drug industry. Instead of upholding the Hippocratic Oath of doing no harm, Sen. Kahn instead supports a law that exposes Michigan patients to harmful drugs like Vioxx, Bextra, Rezulin, fen-phen and many others. These senators should be ashamed because they were sent to Lansing to stand up for Michigan citizens, not the powerful drug giants.”
During interviews with ABC-12, a Flint TV station, Richardville said he refused to repeal Michigan’s drug immunity law – the only one of its kind in the nation – and called efforts by victims to hold drug companies accountable “frivolous.”
“My husband’s death is not frivolous,” said Leslie Richter of Lansing, whose husband, Richard, died of a stroke in 2004 after taking Vioxx. “Sen. Richardville doesn’t know me, but I loved my husband very much and Vioxx took him away from me and our family. There is nothing frivolous about his death. There is nothing frivolous about the pain and the loss that I feel to this day. And there is nothing frivolous about the pain and suffering of countless Michigan families who have lost a loved one because of dangerous drugs.”
In the ABC-12 interview, Sen. Kahn said jobs would be lost if Michigan repealed drug industry immunity – the tired argument from the drug industry that doesn’t hold water since Michigan has lost tens of thousands of pharmaceutical jobs in recent years. He also said, bizarrely, that giving Michigan patients the resources to hold drug giants accountable for deadly drugs like Vioxx would mean “more people who are going to die.”
“People are already dying from Vioxx, Rezulin and other dangerous drugs and jobs are already leaving Michigan,” said Joe Hargrove of Commerce Township, who suffered serious illnesses after taking painkiller Celexa, including liver failure and hepatitis. “Sen. Kahn should tell the truth, stand on the side of Michigan patients and stop protecting drug company profits.”
Despite the claims of the drug industry, Michigan has hemorrhaged jobs – including pharmaceutical jobs – since then-Gov. John Engler signed Michigan’s 1996 law giving drug companies total immunity when they sell deadly drugs. Earlier this year alone, Pfizer announced it would slash more than 2,000 jobs in Michigan, the most of any location as Pfizer eliminates 10,000 jobs worldwide.
A growing groundswell of public outrage has forced attention on Michigan’s drug immunity law. In the current House, representatives made it their first order of business in 2007 to repeal Michigan’s immunity law. The Senate has refused to follow the House and continues to protect big drug companies. Progress Michigan urges citizens to pressure the Legislature to repeal Michigan’s drug immunity law by going to: www.progressmichigan.org.
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