Dairy Labeling Changes

See Painted Hand Farm's comment under the earlier post on this topic. The essence seems to be that the State wants to prevent dairy producers from putting on their labels whether or not the milk was produced with the use of hormones, antibiotics, and other chemicals. It looks like yet another attempt by our government and big agribusiness to blur the difference between local, sustainably produced food and food produced using conventional means.

Drug-makers recall AIDS drugs from Africa

Summary: Swiss pharmacy company Roche recalled a low-cost drug used to fight AIDS due to contamination. The drugs were contaminated with a chemical known to cause cancer in high doses and genetic mutations in low doses. Therefore, the relatively small number of people in the developing world who had access to life-saving pharmaceuticals just had them taken away. The same drug is manufactured by Pfizer and is sold in wealthier countries. Due to licensing and regulatory issues Pfizer will not release this life-saving drug to the undeveloped world. In other words, Pfizer doesn't find it profitable to provide the drug at an affordable cost to people who are dying in the developing world. By the way, Pfizer raked in 48.4 billion dollars last year.

Write your congress person. Ask for meaningful healthcare reform, access to life-saving pharmaceuticals, and access to medical procedures for this country's poor and working class and for meaningful solutions to the healthcare crisis in developing countries. Pharmaceutical companies are making hundreds of billions of dollars by inflating the cost of medications here and denying life-saving medications to the poor worldwide.

Here's the story from the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/23/health/23recall.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Pharmaceutical company implicated in childrens' deaths

Here's a story that sounds like it came right out of the movie "The Constant Gardener," (a movie which I highly recommend). If this case has made it to the point of actually being filed and CNN (a pretty conservative news company) is actually carrying the story, it's a safe bet that Pfizer is responsible for a lot more than what they're being charged with.



http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/07/20/nigeria.drugs.ap/index.html In short, Pfizer may be responsible for the deaths of at least 11 children and the severe injury of other children in Africa who were being used to test an experimental antibiotic. Pfizer, of course, denied wrong-doing but would not comment.


Does anyone think it's a bit barbaric and immoral that Western pharmaceutical companies, or any pharmaceutical company for that matter, are testing experimental drugs on people, let alone children, in Africa? If this took place in the U.S., Americans would be screaming for justice, Pfizer's stock would be plummeting, and Pfizer would be on the verge of going out of business. But because it's happening in Africa, the story isn't even being carried by the majority of American news media.


Hit them where it counts. If you currently take a drug made by Pfizer ask your physician if you can take something different. Then write to Pfizer to let them know exactly why you stopped using their product. Also write to your congress-person. Tell them about the case and that you are concerned about American companies who not only conduct dangerous experiments on children but who also are responsible for the deaths of millions of people in developing countries by denying them affordable, life-saving medications and less-expensive generic medications.

Action: Make Democracy Work

Write, e-mail, and call your elected officials about issues you care about. Let them know you are aware of the decisions they make. Democracy only works when we all speak up.

Many of our problems today were created or at least helped along by our silence. Successful democracy requires all of us to be involved.

Most social justice and environmental organizations have letter writing campaigns on a regular basis. Take advantage of these opportunities to add your voice to the voices of others.

Here's a government website that will help you find out who your elected officials are and how to contact them: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

"The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." Plato