Doctors and patients will still not have important information on side effects of medicine
Statement
of Emily Clayton, CALPIRG Health Care Advocate, on today’s Assembly
Business and Professions Committee vote on SB 163 (Scott), the
Pharmaceutical Drug Safety and Information Act:
“Despite
widespread support from consumer, senior, health and labor
organizations, the Assembly Business & Professions Committee today
failed to pass the year’s most important piece of consumer legislation.
With today’s vote, California’s patients and doctors are further from
getting the truth about the safety of their medicines. Senator Scott’s
legislation would have, for the first time, required drug companies to
release the results of all the health studies for their medicines.
“From
Vioxx to Paxil, the pharmaceutical industry has failed to tell whole
truth about the potential side effects of drugs on the market. These
tragedies make it clear that we can’t rely on the drug companies to
disclosure this information.
“On
behalf of the millions of Californians affected by this issue, CALPIRG
extends thanks to Assemblymembers Negrete McLeod, Bass, Koretz, Nation
and Saldaña for their vote in support of the public interest. While we
are extremely disappointed in today’s outcome, we hold out hope that
members of the legislature will find another way to address this
critical issue this session.
“The
Pharmaceutical Drug Safety and Information Act, SB 163, failed to pass
the Assembly Business and Professions Committee on a 5-4-1 vote.
Assemblymembers voting for the measure included Negrete McLeod, Bass,
Koretz, Nation and Saldaña. Assemblymembers voting against the measure
included Shirley Horton, Maze, Tran and Yee. Assemblymember Vargas was
present for the vote but abstained.”
CALPIRG is a statewide non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organization.
