Senate Health Committee Passes Groundbreaking Pharmaceutical Drug Safety Legislation
December 21st, 2007 Posted by: Dr. Cox
SACRAMENTO—The Senate Health Committee today passed SB 1683, the Pharmaceutical Drug Right-to-Know Act. The bill, authored by Senator Jack Scott (Alta Dena) and sponsored by CALPIRG, would require drug companies to release the results of all their health studies for every drug sold in California.
“The Vioxx and Paxil scandals have made it perfectly clear that drug companies won’t voluntarily tell the public the whole truth,” said Emily Clayton, CALPIRG’s Health Care Advocate. “This legislation represents the best hope that doctors, researchers and patients have of getting some real answers about the safety and effectiveness of their medicines.”
In the wake of revelations that Merck, the manufacturer of Vioxx, and GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of Paxil, withheld critical health studies from the public, legislators from across the country have turned their attention to this problem. While bills are pending in several states, the California legislation is the most ambitious. If passed by the legislature and signed by the governor, the bill would give the public access to a wide range of never-before-seen health studies.
“California has long been a national leader on health and safety issues,” said Clayton. “From air pollution to toxic chemicals, we’ve led the way. It’s a natural fit for California to continue this proud tradition by passing the most comprehensive pharmaceutical safety law in the country.”
The legislation passed the committee by a vote of 5-3. Members voting for the legislation included Senators Alquist, Chesbro, Figueroa, Kuehl, and Ortiz.
SB 1683 has been endorsed by CALPIRG, AARP California, American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, California Alliance of Retired Americans, California Labor Federation/AFL-CIO, California Nurses Association, Congress of California Seniors, Consumers Union, Greenlining Institute, Health Access and Senior Action Network.