Letter: Drug makers don’t need more protection

Monday, Dec. 26, 2005 | 7:50 a.m.

I completely agree with your editorial concerning the proposal to give vaccine makers a liability shield. Drug makers do not need the special-interest giveaways that President Bush and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist are trying to give them in the guise of protecting the American public from pandemics and avian flu.

The president's claim that drug companies need liability protection because of the large number of lawsuits they face is a scare tactic -- this is about corporate bottom lines.

According to two Harvard University professors, there have been only 10 reported flu vaccine lawsuits over the last 20 years. More importantly, vaccine manufacturers are investing in the vaccine market at a rapid pace even without immunity from lawsuits.

Yet, under this plan, drug companies would be protected even if they acted in a grossly negligent manner or distributed a contaminated batch of vaccines. What's more, giving vaccine manufacturers special protections could make a pandemic outbreak worse because people will be less likely to get vaccinated if they know they cannot hold drug companies accountable. That could contribute to a pandemic flu outbreak by allowing a virus to spread faster among an unvaccinated population.

If drug manufacturers are going to make millions off selling drugs to the public, they must ensure the drugs they sell to us are safe. Ensuring that the American people are protected against a bio-terrorist attack or pandemic flu should be a top priority of our government -- and the best way to protect Americans is to produce safe drugs, not provide special interests with more protections and loopholes.