No Payback for Eli Lilly
The Homeland Security Bill could be dangerous for American families.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., is leading the fight to remove a provision from the Homeland Security Bill that protects Eli Lilly and other pharmaceutical companies from lawsuits for their use of the drug thimerosal in vaccines. Thimerosal, a preservative containing mercury, has been blamed for the dramatic rise in autism among children. Under the provision, claims would be redirected to a limited federal compensation program.
“It certainly appears this provision was added at the last minute as a payback to a powerful political supporter, and I believe that this provision has no place in the Homeland Security Bill,” Stabenow said.
The UAW supports Stabenow’s effort to have the provision removed. “We have a vital interest in America’s health care system and how it operates,” said UAW President Ron Gettelfinger in an op-ed that ran in the Sunday Detroit News. “That includes the rights of consumers when drug manufacturers release products that have undisclosed side effects.”
