Here’s where we at drugwonks try to impose a little logic on the rhetoric of pols on the Plan B issue to underscore once again that whatever you think about its availability (and I think it should be out there) this is not about public health or science or consistency.
Tom Harkin wants to know why Plan B should be restricted to people 18 years of age and older while it can be purchased OTC in Europe by anyone. I guess that means Harkin was on joking when he supporting restircting the sale of pseudoephedrine products to minors cumulative amount of pseudoephedrine purchased per month to 7.5 grams. Plan B will join Sudafed and other PSE containing pills behind the counter at drug stores. Why one and not the other Senator? (PS. The practice has had no effect on cold medication sales.)
Senator Christopher Dodd (and Grassley) talks about restoring scientific integrity to the FDA but then he entrusts David Graham to help write his legislation and on withdrawing Ketek despite a scientific consensus that this is a badly needed medicine.
Hillary Clinton claims that getting drug companies to work with pharmacists to limit the distribution of Plan B to minors is akin to Clinton likened that demand to holding the distillers of alcoholic beverages responsible for bartenders who serve underage drinkers. Uh, but we already do Senator. Ditto for tobacco. Remember the multi-billion tobacco settlement your administration helped engineer along with the then FDA commissioner who called for tobacco companies to restrict their marketing practices and work with retailers to cut down on kids smoking. What about the vaccine companies sued by trial attorneys not because they did anything wrong but because they have deeper pockets than some lonely doc?
Plan B politics is simply political BS.
Free Andy now!
