The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) has introduced a plan for publicly funded clinical trials of prescription drugs "that could substantially reduce the inefficiency and conflicts of interests inherent in the current system of drug testing. The cost of the drug trials would be covered by reduced payments for prescriptions drugs under Medicare Part D and other government programs."

CEPR's press release also states, "establishing a network of independent companies working on long-term federal contracts would eliminate the conflicts of interest in the current structure of the pharmaceutical industry.

"Under the present system, the pharmaceutical companies have a strong incentive to exaggerate a drug's benefits and conceal potential dangers, as arguably happened with the arthritis drug, Vioxx.

"The report goes on to demonstrate that public funding can potentially save state and local governments in excess of $120 billion dollars over the course of 10 years. If comparable price reductions are applied to the private sector as well, the savings would total over $900 billion." 

CEPR's plan highlights the terrible failures of Bush's politicized FDA.  Instead of protecting the American people, the FDA protects the pharmaceutical companies. 

An article via CommonDreams states, " 'The FDA is now in the business of helping lawsuit defendants, specifically the pharmaceutical companies,' said James O'Reilly, University of Cincinnati law professor and author of a book on the history of the FDA. 'It's a dramatic change in what the FDA has done in the past.'

"...more than 100 high-level officials under Bush who helped govern industries they once represented as lobbyists, lawyers or company advocates....those former industry advocates have helped their agencies write, shape or push for policy shifts that benefit their former industries. They knew which changes to make because they had pushed for them as industry advocates."

Since drug trials are one of Big Pharma's lame and prevaricating excuses for keeping prescription medication artificially overpriced in order to make billions in profits, CEPR's logical, effective plan may never be implemented because of pharmaceutical companies' lobbyists and the elected officials on Capitol Hill they have in their pockets. 

Big Pharma lobbyists pressure members of both parties since many lobbyists are part of Congress' revolving door, that is, some of these pharmaceutical flunkies are former Congress critters or worked for senators and representatives.

As the Washington Post reports today, "The Democratic takeover of Congress means 'we just have more friends than we used to have,' said PhRMA President W.J. "Billy" Tauzin, a former Republican congressman from Louisiana. 'We're trying to find more.'

"Drug firms also have engaged former top aides to Congress's most important Democratic lawmakers, ensuring access to each of the leaders. These lobbyists once worked for such lawmakers as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.); Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (Mont.); House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (N.Y.); and Edward M. Kennedy (Mass.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

"PhRMA boosted its spending on lobbying last year by 25 percent, to more than $22 million. The increase made the group the second-largest purchaser of lobbying services -- which includes both lobbyists and issue advertising -- after only the capital's perennial top spender, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, according to CQ MoneyLine, which tracks money in politics.

"PhRMA's member companies, which include Merck, Eli Lilly and Pfizer, and their employees have also radically altered their giving patterns to federal candidates. For the past decade, pharmaceuticals contributed two-thirds or more of their campaign cash to Republicans. Last year, their donations split 50-50 in what industry insiders said was a concerted effort to purchase the sympathy of -- and access to -- Democrats while also keeping the allegiance of Republicans."

A brief summary of a Center for Public Integrity report says that, "The pharmaceutical industry spent a record $155 million lobbying the US federal government and its agencies from January 2005 to June 2006.

"In 2005, sales for the top companies represented more than a quarter trillion dollars of the U.S. prescription drug market. The pharmaceutical lobby in Washington now outnumbers members of Congress by two to one."

Pharma lobbyists wielded enormous influence in writing the legislation for Medicare Plan D, for example, which resulted in huge profits for the Bush administration's corporate crony drug companies and unnecessary increased expenses for seniors who can ill afford it.

There would be no need for pharma's pseudo charitable advertising machinations like Partnership for Prescription Assistance pitched by Montel Williams or Pharmaceutical Industry Labor-Management Association if, like other industrialized nations such as Canada, drugs were affordable not artificially inflated by Big Pharma to make those billions and billions of dollars in profit.

It seems that the current crop of Democratic leaders in Congress will continue to put pharma's enormous profits from deliberately unnecessary high drug prices ahead of the health of the American people. 

Don't expect universal health care to be acknowledged as a human right in the US, like in most industrialized countries, and legislated anytime soon by these Big Pharma bought Congress critters.