You may remember this story in November of last year. In the 60 Minutes interview Below, Cheryl Eckard reveals disturbing details about the gross negligence at the Cidra pharmaceutical plant, run by one of GlaxoSmithKline’s subsidiaries.

They eventually pleaded guilty to the felony crime of distributing adulterated drugs. Unfortunately one has to wonder why not one single person in charge of these outrageous, in some cases life threatening, practices went to jail!

There was reason to believe that some of the medications were contaminated with bacteria, others were mislabeled, and some were too strong or not strong enough. It’s likely Glaxo would have gotten away with it had it not been for a company insider: a tip from Cheryl Eckard set off a major federal investigation.

Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline has updated the package insert for its restless legs syndrome drug Requip. According to the new insert, Requip may cause ?pathological gambling? and ?increased libido including hypersexuality.?

These side effects are reportedly a class-wide effect, which impact all the drugs belonging to the non-ergoline dopamine agonist class of drugs. The insert reads:
?Impulse control symptoms, including compulsive behaviors such as pathological gambling and hypersexuality, have been reported in patients treated with dopaminergic agents.?

Another RLS drug, Mirapex (which is also used to treat Parkinson?s disease), has reported similar symptoms. The Mirapex package insert reads:
?Patients taking certain medicines to treat Parkinson?s disease or RLS, including Mirapex . . . have reported problems with gambling, compulsive eating, and increased sex drive.?

A 2005 study published in the Archives of Neurology also found that dozens of patients using Mirapex or similar drugs developed serious gambling addictions.

Hundreds of people have reportedly contacted lawyers about joining class-action lawsuits that allege Mirapex and Requip caused unusual side effects such as compulsive gambling, shopping, painting and eating.
(Arch Neurol 2005;62(9):1377-1381)

It is no secret that I’ve been opposed to the H1N1 vaccine from the begin of the pandemic fiasco. For the last few years Ive been trying to educate people on the dangers of vaccines in general. There is no data that shows anyone should get the H1N1, HPV or any other vaccine for that matter. Those who have pushed these vaccines despite their health risks and lack of testing are motivated by money.

The vaccine scam has been rolling along for decades

Our government is out of control; it is no longer of, by, and for the people. Unfortunately, we the people will pay the price with our health and welfare until lobbying government officials is banned.

Americans currently pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. Canadians, Europeans, and even citizens of Mexico pay only about one-half to as little as one-tenth the price paid by Americans for the very same chemicals. Drug companies actually import many of the raw materials used in drugs from other countries, meaning that some U.S. medicines are already sourced from countries like the U.K. and Germany.

Drug companies mark up their prescription drugs as much as 569,000% over the price of the raw materials. A typical markup is more in the 30,000% – 50,000% range. Retailing pharmaceuticals is hugely profitable. There is no business in the world with more profit built into the retail price of the product. How many business owners would like to have those profit margins?

The purpose of restricting Americans from buying drugs from other countries is to enforce a medical monopoly in the United States, forcing consumers to purchase drugs at the highest prices in the world, further padding the profits of powerful and influential pharmaceutical corporations who exert strong influence over the U.S. Congress.

To learn more about how the phamaceutical industry is fleecing America go HERE.

The First Amendment guarantees a right “to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” From the country’s earliest days, Americans have exercised this right, whether a citizen writes a letter about a bill or a business owner hires an agent to present his or her views.

Almost from the beginning, too, lobbying — because it often took place over a sumptuous dinner or in a well-appointed bar — raised suspicions that the petitioner had somehow gained an unfair advantage with the lawmaker.

As government has increased in size and scope, lobbying has grown accordingly. Corporations, unions, and interest groups of every stripe send their own lobbyists to Washington and state capitals, or they hire lobbying firms to advocate for their positions.

Big Spenders

A decade of lobbying dollars, by industry, 1998 to 2008:

1. Pharmaceuticals/Health Products – $1.5 billion
2. Insurance – $1.1 billion
3. Electric Utilities – $1 billion
4. Computers/Internet – $820 million
5. Business Associations – $745 million
6. Education – $727 million (excludes money from teachers’ unions)
7. Real Estate – $696 million
8. Oil and Gas – $687 million
9. Hospitals/Nursing Homes – $649 million
10. Miscellaneous Manufacturing and Distributing – $613 million

(Mercola.com Newsletter 1/15/09)

Is it really a mystery why insurance and pharmaceuticals cost so much. Our government has been bought.