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PDFFrom the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign:
With lawmakers considering legislation giving pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers immunity from lawsuits by people injured by one of their products, the Democracy Campaign today issued a report showing that statewide officeholders and legislators have accepted $192,000 in campaign contributions from drug makers the state has sued for Medicaid fraud, anti-trust violations, false advertising and paying kickbacks to doctors for using their drugs.
Here is the report: http://www.wisdc.org/pr110311.php and here is our podcast of the report: http://www.wisdc.org/podcast.html.
Key Findings:
- One of the proposals the legislature is expected to consider at Walker’s request during its current special session would give pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers immunity from lawsuits if their products injure someone but have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
- Statewide officeholders and legislators have accepted $192,000 in campaign contributions from pharmaceutical companies the state has sued for Medicaid fraud, anti-trust violations, false advertising and paying kickbacks to doctors for using their drugs.
- Overall, contributions from all drug companies since June 2004 totaled $64,710 to Walker, $22,600 to Van Hollen, $169,518 to current legislators and legislative fundraising committees and $2,500 to the lieutenant governor. By party, current Republican officeholders have accepted four times more than Democratic legislators from all drug makers – $209,881 to $49,447.
- A report issued last December showed the pharmaceutical industry had surpassed the defense industry to become the No. 1 defrauder of the federal government, accounting for at least 25 percent of all payments under the federal False Claims Act in the last decade.
(h/t: Jennifer Rubin)
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