Drug industry funded FDA Bill Senators

A controversy has emerged in the USA over the degree to which the drug industry has financed the elected campaigns of several Senators who voted down a series of amendments to the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (S1082; Marketletter May 14). Among the issues raised in the legislative debate were the provisions for avoiding conflicts of interest by Food and Drug Administration staff.

USA Today has listed financial benefits enjoyed by several prominent Senators, from both major parties and including some who have a history of critizing the pharmaceutical sector. Sens Edward Kennedy (Democrat, Massachusetts) and Michael Enzi (Republican, Wyoming) have rotated the chairmanship and ranking member position on the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Welfare Committee since 2001. Sen Kennedy has received $78,000 and Sen Enzi $174,000 in drug industry donations, according to publicly-available information. Bipartisan legislation sponsored by both Senators formed the basis of the PDUFA. The New York Times drew attention to the efforts of the leading Senators to repel a series of amendments that, for the most part, would have been opposed by the drug industry. The current Senator with the largest donations from the sector in 2006 is Hillary Clinton (Democrat, New York), who was re-elected for a second term, but is also running for her party's nomination as US President in 2008.

Sen Bernie Saunders (Independent, Vermont), the only unaffiliated Senator, but who normally votes with the Democrats, commented on the drug industry donations. He said: "it's not that money buys votes. But you have a culture in which big money has significant influence. Big money buys you access, access gives you the time to influence people." Ron Pollack, director of big-pharma foe, Families USA, said: "I don't think there is any lobbying group in town that has the clout of the drug industry."