Press Room

Citizens Groups Praise Granholm for Leadership in Fight to End Drug Immunity

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Dan Farough
Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008
(517) 643-2949

In State of the State, Governor calls on legislature to repeal unfair Michigan law protecting makers of deadly drugs

LANSING – Several citizens groups today praised Gov. Jennifer Granholm for calling for the immediate repeal of Michigan’s drug industry immunity law, which the House has acted on but which continues to languish in the Senate amid stonewalling and delay tactics.

“Gov. Jennifer Granholm is putting people before drug industry profits and we applaud her for urging the Senate to join in the fight to protect citizens,” Progress Michigan Executive Director Dan Farough said. “Senator Mike Bishop has dragged his feet on this issue long enough, and that has put people’s lives at risk. We call on Sen. Bishop and the Senate to follow the House, join Gov. Granholm in this important fight and repeal this outrageous law immediately.”

Under Michigan’s 1996 law signed by then-Gov. John Engler, consumers cannot hold the drug industry accountable when it sells dangerous drugs like Vioxx, which have been linked to tens of thousands of heart attacks and strokes, many of them fatal. A growing groundswell of public outrage has forced attention on Michigan’s drug immunity law – the only one of its kind in the nation. In the current House, representatives made it their first order of business in 2007 to repeal Michigan’s immunity law. Bishop has refused to let the Senate follow the House in repealing Michigan’s drug immunity law, using delay tactics that have prevented the issue from coming up for a vote.

“I am grateful to Gov. Jennifer Granholm for shining a spotlight on this important issue and standing up for my family and countless others across Michigan who have lost a loved one because of dangerous prescription drugs,” said Leslie Richter, whose husband Richard died of a stroke in 2004 after taking Vioxx. “Repealing this law will help Michigan families hold drug companies accountable and force them to put the safety of our families before profits. I urge the Senate to end the delays and put our citizens first.”

Leslee Wiltjer, whose husband suffered a stroke after taking Celebrex, said: “Gov. Jennifer Granholm has sent a clear message that people must come before drug industry profits. Repealing Michigan’s unfair drug industry immunity law will protect countless families and give them a way to hold drug companies accountable. The Senate must end the delays, repeal Michigan’s immunity law and stand up for all consumers across our great state.”

Across the nation, tens of thousands of people have taken action to hold Merck accountable for Vioxx – except Michigan citizens, who have been silenced because of the state’s immunity law.
“Governor Jennifer Granholm showed real leadership tonight when she called on the Senate to push through legislation to repeal Michigan’s drug immunity law,” state Linda Teeter, executive director at Michigan Citizen Action. “For almost a year after the House passed legislation, Senator Bishop and the Senate have ignored Michigan citizens. It is time to open the court house doors to Michigan families. The time for action is now.”

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