Vitter Likens 70 Year-Old Drug Safety Board To A ‘Death Panel’
Vitter Likens 70 Year-Old Drug Safety Board To A ‘Death Panel’
In a statement raising the specter of Sarah Palin’s mythical “death panels,” Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) attacked the FDA for revoking its approval of the breast cancer drug Avastin after it determined that the drug does more harm than good:
“I shudder at the thought of a government panel assigning a value to a day of a person’s life,” Vitter said in the news release. “It is sickening to think that care would be withheld from a patient simply because their life is not deemed valuable enough. I fear this is the beginning of a slippery slope leading to more and more rationing under the government takeover of health care that is being forced on the American people.”
Vitter was responding to a July 19 recommendation by a 13-member advisory committee that the FDA remove approval for Avastin, produced by Roche Holding AG, because it showed only a limited benefit to women taking the drug in conjunction with chemotherapy, especially given the significant increase in side effects over chemotherapy alone.
Vitter’s fear of a slippery slope is absurd. In 1938, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which requires the FDA to review drugs to ensure that they are safe and effective before they are sold to patients. It would be quite an accomplishment if President Roosevelt somehow managed to create a federal death panel without anyone noticing for over seven decades.
In reality, an essential function of the FDA is ensuring that drugs whose side effects are more dangerous than their benefits do not reach the market. That is exactly why the FDA pulled approval of Avastin, because scientific studies — conducted by people who know a whole lot more about medicine than David Vitter — determined that Avastin is more likely to harm cancer patients than to help them. If Vitter had his way, such scientific research would be ignored and millions of patents would be endangered by quack medicine.
In other words, Vitter’s plan to substitute his own judgment for that of medical experts bears a lot more resemblance to a “death panel” than anything the FDA has done.
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Apparantly there is no zombie meme so stupid, so depraved and so completely and utterly debunked that the GOP will not keep repeating it forever
July 29th, 2010 at 10:57 amSen. David Vitter (R-LA) attacked the FDA for revoking its approval of the breast cancer drug Avastin after it determined that the drug does more harm than good
– - Follow. The. Money. You just KNOW that Vitter has a financial stake or connection in this drug company.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:07 amIt sure would be nice if we had something akin to the FDA that got rid of useless and harmful politicians.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:07 amGiven the crap food additives that this Board has approved, given how food “manufacturers” can hide chemical additives under the category of “spices”, I sorta agree with Vitter that this group is morally reprehensible but not for the same reasons.
That aspartame/Nutrasweet can remain on the market while lobbyists fight tooth and nail to keep stevia out of sugar-free products just shows the power of the chemical industry.
Scrap the FDA and replace it with a real consumer safety advocacy board.
PEACE
July 29th, 2010 at 11:08 amVitter’s probably most afraid that some federal agency will begin to regulate the production and distribution of diapers to whore houses.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:08 amOoh. Death Panels again. Can I be on one? I have a list.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:08 amCan we get an agency like the FDA (Federal DumbassesAreOut Agency) to implement Mr. Evil’s idea @#3?
July 29th, 2010 at 11:10 am“Mr. Evil says:
It sure would be nice if we had something akin to the FDA that got rid of useless and harmful politicians.”
But that would rid us of most republiscum politicians.
Hey! That would be GOOD!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:12 amVitter then mounted a hooker and preached about family values….
July 29th, 2010 at 11:21 amSpencer’s mom
That aspartame/Nutrasweet can remain on the market while lobbyists fight tooth and nail to keep stevia out of sugar-free products just shows the power of the chemical industry.
————————————————————
Seems to me that Donald Rumsfeld was hired and paid handsomely by Searle, aspartame’s manufacturer, to muscle FDA approval.
It’s all politics, all the time. Corporate ownership of government demands it.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:24 amIn other words, Vitter’s plan to substitute his own judgment for that of medical experts
Unless a drug has something to with adults wearing diapers or prostitutes David Vitter needs to shut-up because those are the only things he is expert on.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:25 amIf there is such a thing as a male bimbo, Vitter is it. This guy has sucked on too many soiled diapers.
AIO
July 29th, 2010 at 11:26 amNow if Big Pharma could only come up with a pill that could cure stupid. That would probably help humanity more than any other cure. They could use Congress for lab rats. It isn’t like anyone would notice unless the cure worked.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:30 amIn a statement raising the specter of Sarah Palin’s mythical “death panels,”…
– - Ahh, the lies of Sarah Palin…
“Large shares of seniors mistakenly believe the law includes provisions that cut some previously universal Medicare benefits and creates “death panels.” Half of seniors (50%) say the law will cut benefits that were previously provided to all people on Medicare, and more than a third (36%) incorrectly believe the law will “allow a government panel to make decisions about end-of-life care for people on Medicare.”
http://www.kff.org/kaiserpolls/8084.cfm
July 29th, 2010 at 11:33 am“I shudder at the thought of a government panel assigning a value to a day of a person’s life,” Vitter said in the news release.
This is just so fukcing stupid.
Transparent, hysterical, and stupid.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:35 amHoodathunk(sponsored by Free Speech for Fish) says:
Now if Big Pharma could only come up with a pill that could cure stupid. That would probably help humanity more than any other cure. They could use Congress for lab rats. It isn’t like anyone would notice unless the cure worked.
Only problem would be those those truly needed to take it wouldn’t because their stupid minds would think it was an attempt by the government to control them.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:36 amVitter should ingest massive quanties of guarana. Since it doesn’t matter that the FDA has warned that doing so can cause elevated blood pressure, stroke or heart attack, he shouldn’t have any problem with this.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:37 amNah, that would be counterproductive for Big Pharma. Especially if it were to find its way into Congress. Someone in authority might stumble on the idea that, “hey, it doesn’t make any sense for drug companies to market prescription medication to the general public. That might create an unwarranted demand that’s inappropriate for the medical limitations of the product.”
And then where would the cable news industry be? They’d have to fill all those commercial slots with Goldline ads.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:38 am“I shudder at the thought of a government panel assigning a value to a day of a person’s life,” Vitter said in the news release.
But a corporate board doing it for profit makes me hard. Especially when they share it with me.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:38 amThat would be the end of the teabag mob.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:39 amThey could always hide it in the kool aid. And what’s one more artificial additive in Cheetos?
July 29th, 2010 at 11:40 amLet’s help Louisiana vote Diaper David Vitter out of office!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:41 amRep. Charlie Melancon(D-LA) for U.S. Senate
He’s obviously trying to stir up the teabaggers. This should work.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:42 amThis comment has been voted down. Click to read.
Vitter is half right. During the Bush years the FDA whose budget and staff were cut was almost like a death panel as we allowed the importation of poisoned food, toys, dog food and sheet rock.
I do note however where Vitter is coming from. He is a corporatist republican member of the senate, loyal to the corporations, prostitutes and diapers.
It makes perfectly good sense for a corporatist politician to attack the FDA as they can hinder multinational corporations profits by forbidding their tainted and poisoned product from entering the USA when the FDA is operated, funded and staffed properly.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:43 amAnd Bud Light. Putting it in there would do a whole bunch of people a big favor. They might find out what real beer tastes like.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:44 am- – Slightly O.T. but damn funny…
http://litbrit.blogspot.com/2010/07/sarah-palin-chose-b-ten-questions-for.html
Ten questions every supporter of Sarah Palin should ask themselves. Sarah Palin chose (b): Ten questions for mothers
July 29th, 2010 at 11:46 amFrugal… @ 5, Nah, it’s simpler than that; he’s skeered that if they regulate drugs this week, it’ll be his diaper rash ointment next week.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:48 am“It is sickening to think that care would be withheld from a patient simply because their life is not deemed valuable enough. I fear this is the beginning of a slippery slope leading to more and more rationing under the government takeover of health care that is being forced on the American people.”
Health care is already rationed by the insurance industry because they do not cover all necessary expenses and conditions. The second aspect of rationing is that only those who can afford health care can receive appropriate health care. If you can’t afford health care, you are limited to emergency rooms and what public aid may offer which is usually substandard. If I have to chose between the government and the private insurance industry rationing health care, then I prefer the government make those decisions. The reason why government is the better choice is because our government is elected by the people; private companies are beholden to their shareholders rather than their policy holders.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:49 amFear and Ignorance is a badge of honor that Republicans proudly display every chance they get. The sad part is they have a following.
RIP
July 29th, 2010 at 11:50 amSGT Stephen R. Sherman
C CO 1-5 In (STRYKER)
KIA 3 Feb 2005
Mosul, Iraq
1st, I’m not a Vitter fan. At all.
But…big pharma actually pays the FDA members’ salaries.
How can an entity be objective on drug impact when the corporations requesting approval pay your salaries?
That would be like having the MMS getting perks from big oil.
Oh, wait…
July 29th, 2010 at 11:50 amBadmoodman @#27 ~ DingDingDing!!!
I’ll take door number….
B! Wait. B’s not a number…
July 29th, 2010 at 11:53 amI would admit it, if I was as stupid as you.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:53 amWhat exactly are Mr. Vitter’s qualifications
to evaluate what the FDA is doing? Does he
have a medical degree? If not, what scientists
is he relying on to make his informed decision?
Why do Repugnicans get a pass on providing
scientific evidence to disprove anything
with science or economics behind it? (The
economy and climate change come to mind.)
Why should we listen to a man who has repeatedly
July 29th, 2010 at 11:54 amshown how little he respects women? Why do
the people of Louisiana keep electing this
person?
Then he wouldn’t be able to keep his slope slippery.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:55 amBadmoodman @27, definitely B for question #10!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:55 amThis whole business of checking food and drugs for safety is just fear mongering. No company would put a product on the market that wasn’t safe. And did you hear, thalidomide is making a comeback? And I bet they still have the formula for cyclamates as well, too, also, you betcha. ;)
July 29th, 2010 at 11:57 amEnough of the diaper jokes already!
July 29th, 2010 at 11:57 amI am serious.
Mr. Vitter should not be denigrated with this.
After all, he needs those diapers since he is obviously so full of sh*t.
We are seeing the dawn of a new chapter being written in American history. We have been under the thumb and ruled by a corpocracy for many decades now but with the advent of the recent Supreme Court ruling, things will only get worse for the common people of our country.
Who is going to fight for us when we become a jobless society? Who will represent us in Washington DC when corporate money takes out the last remaining few politicians who do fight for us?
It will only be a matter of time before 100% of our politicians in DC are all bought and paid for. Neither party will be able to refuse the money, neither party will be able to do what is right for the people when doing right is against the best interests of our corpocracy.
A new chapter is being written in American history but something tells me it may just well be the final chapter written on what was once the greatest country in the world and a beacon of hope for the people of the world.
July 29th, 2010 at 11:59 amIt looks like the Republicans may have found their newest catch phrase for the baggers who get their education from bumper stickers.
Pill, Baby, Pill!
July 29th, 2010 at 12:02 pmComments such as this one by Vitter deserve only one response – ridicule. I would love to see Senator Franken respond to a nonsense comment like this by saying something like “If my esteemed colleague from Louisiana would like, I would be happy to put a good word in for him with the people from Saturday Night Live. His comment shows promise in the comedy field.”
July 29th, 2010 at 12:03 pmAvastin and other new cancer drugs cost at least $40,000 per patient per year and extend life by an average of something like six weeks. It’s not just the government that’s balking at paying for them; private insurance companies are doing the same, so don’t ascribe this to government control. It might also be called “market forces at work.”
I wonder how many drug companies are lining Mr. Vitter’s pockets.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:08 pmUnfortunately this whore-mongering criminal is my Senator. Vitter’s comments are stupid and incendiary – he’ll say or do anything to appeal to the lower political element (racism, fear mongering, etc.). Put another way, Vitter will prostitute himself if he can see political gain as a consequence.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:12 pmAlthough I am sure the FDA has made a mistake here and there, I doubt if was for the purpose of influencing elections… or even possibly hampering the progress of women gaining some control over their medical treatment. Vitter should undergo a few days of chemo before he dares to express his uninformed opinions on matters medical…
July 29th, 2010 at 12:13 pmMore “Diaper Me” Vitter LIES.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:13 pmInvictus Corruptus says:
We are seeing the dawn of a new chapter being written in American history. We have been under the thumb and ruled by a corpocracy for many decades now but with the advent of the recent Supreme Court ruling, things will only get worse for the common people of our country.
—————————————————————
I think the title of the eventual book on the matter will be a descriptive one: “The Death of a Nation.”
July 29th, 2010 at 12:15 pm“I shudder at the thought of a government panel assigning a value to a day of a person’s life,” Vitter said in the news release.
Ever read a Pentagon war report?
July 29th, 2010 at 12:20 pmI assume this “outrage” by Vitter and his encouragement that breast cancer patients take medication that may be more dangerous than the disease is all just part of the Republican mantra: “If you get sick, die fast.”
July 29th, 2010 at 12:20 pm“I shudder at the thought of a government panel assigning a value to a day of a person’s life,” Vitter said in the news release.
Well, I don’t know how much a day of a regular person’s life would be worth, but in Iraq and Afghanistan whole lives were valued in $4K to $25K.
Of course, they weren’t American lives…
July 29th, 2010 at 12:26 pmPandering, prostitue-loving misogynist prick deliberately misinforming and mischaracterizing a women’s health issue.
Why is this guy still in office?
July 29th, 2010 at 12:30 pmEvery drug has side effects. Many side effects are lethal.
So it is a “death panel” to look for these side effects to make sure they are within tolerable limits ?
July 29th, 2010 at 12:37 pmPerhaps the good Senator is longing wistfully of the day when medications were subject to nothing more stringent than caveat emptor as a check on their efficacy and any drug peddler could market snake oil and elixir of life from the back of their car. As long as it doesn’t contain marijuana, cocaine, or opium derivatives.
July 29th, 2010 at 12:41 pmNo drugs for you.
signed,
Some D.C. schmuck
July 29th, 2010 at 1:10 pmYea! Let’s get rid of the FDA and put Thalidomide back on the market. If your baby is born with no arms you can vote with your wallet and switch to a different medication on your next pregnancy. That’s how the free market works!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:41 pmMizzD!kkkless, you are in serious needs of drugs, the kind that will tranq your lunatic @ss in a mental hospital!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:45 pmLet’s abolish the health department while we’re at it! Who are they to demand that restaurants refrigerate meat? What a gross imposition and violation of the restaurants liberty!
Besides, the 10% of the people who survive a botulism infection can just eat somewhere else. Let the fee market reign!
July 29th, 2010 at 1:55 pmVitter wants to start a Diaper Panel so he can chair it….
while wearing his favorite Pampers.
Why would anyone in their right mind take this nutcase seriously?
July 29th, 2010 at 2:04 pmOnce Vitter gets rid of the FDA, I can go back to making my snake oil and resume selling it from the back of my car. I’ll be rich!
July 29th, 2010 at 2:36 pmCronies or Vitter supporters, as well as Vitter point out Vitter’s mother in-law. Noticeably, despite the repeated statements about Vitter’s ‘personaI’ concern for cancer patients, it has not been clarified whether the Avastin drug was offered to, or denied her; nor has there been an offer of meaningful data as to whether or not the drug provided purposeful aid to the woman’s condition –which is the main issue for the FDA advisory panel regarding cancer victims (and people of rationale). Senator Vitter’s pattern of conduct has been a portrayal of GRANDSTANDING at the expense of Louisiana’s NON-ELITE.
Notwithstanding, with regard to Vitter, the more pivotal matter is that an elected official’s private life with whores and prostitutes IS VERY MUCH EVERYBODY’S business –especially, if an elected official refuses to be questioned after DEFINITIVE facts and information point profusely in his direction, as does prostitution activities toward David Vitter. The reason it is a public matter, is because public impropriety requires hush money and bribes to engage others who conceal those acts so as to avoid embarrassment, harming their families, or getting tossed from office. As such, it could be insightful research why other public officials have been / are being investigated to determine if public money or various PERKS were utilized to cover wrongdoings. Other things that occurs when a politician carries on unethical, immoral, or embarrassing activities, is that he or she might be absent from the floor when a critical vote needs to be cast, and PORK BARREL deals become handed out as payment for silence.
Perhaps certain people who are aggravated with us posters who dislike the way Vitter operates, might be among those who (or whose loved ones / cronies) are recipients of Vitter’s HUSH awards. Or, maybe Vitter’s attorney wife Wendy obtained sweetheart, backdoor court judgments from certain of the crooked judges of Louisiana courts. Particularly at this election time, what and who Senator David Vitter is, is of vast importance due to the fact that Louisiana is entrenched in corruption and cronyism; and that people like David Vitter –and cronies that Vitter has been instrumental in getting such people appointed to major political positions are maintaining entrenched corruption, while only surface corruption is being occasionally dealt with. Additionally, the unfortunate thing about Louisiana’s putrid politics is, if an ethical opponent would attempt to campaign against someone like Vitter, the demolition ‘crew’ would clandestinely set out to destroy such an opponent, or his / her family, or put that person out of business if he or she did not voluntarily quit the race. . . and, DAVID VITTER SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED >>> http://www.lawgrace.org/2010/03/12/not-re-election-but-investigation-of-us-senator-david-vitter-is-long-overdue/
July 29th, 2010 at 3:12 pm“Vote for me, I’ll dismantle the FDA!”
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July 29th, 2010 at 8:39 pmC’mon, give Vitter a little bit of a break. He was cranky when he made that statement, due to one of his favorite hookers having accidentally stabbed him with a safety pin while she changed his diaper.
July 30th, 2010 at 8:48 am