Obama Administration Basks in Glow of “Previous Administration’s” Work

I heard yesterday that the Obama Administration held a celebratory press conference about getting a couple billion dollars out of Pfizer for some thing or other. Except, as Glenn Reynold’s pointed out, it was the Bush Administration that actually extracted the dough.

The pharmaceutical giant Pfizer agreed to pay $2.3 billion to settle civil and criminal allegations that it had illegally marketed its painkiller Bextra, which has been withdrawn.
It was the largest health care fraud settlement and the largest criminal fine of any kind ever.
Although the investigation began and largely ended during the Bush administration, top Obama administration officials held a news conference on Wednesday to celebrate the settlement, thank each other for resolving it and promise more crackdowns on health fraud. {emphasis added}

And then there’s this:

Top Republican officials rarely publicized drug marketing cases or appeared during news conferences about them. Eli Lilly agreed to pay $1.4 billion over its marketing of Zyprexa, an antipsychotic, in January, before President Obama took office. The announcement was made by prosecutors in Philadelphia.
Ms. Sebelius’s decision to make the Pfizer announcement in Washington suggests that the political environment for the pharmaceutical industry has become more treacherous despite the industry’s commitment to save the government $80 billion as part of efforts to change the health care system.

Or it suggests and Administration desperate for a “win.” Even if someone else got it for them.

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Palazzo
Palazzo
14 years ago

Drug Companies and Unions
They\’re PIGS I tell you! PIGS! PIGS! PIGS!!!
Is everybody finally understanding what I have been saying for years now??
Is it beginning to sink in that these DRUG COMPANIES andpublic employee unions are NOTHING but a bunch of greedy, lazy, stupid f\’n PIGS?!?!?
And for those who are sick of hearing me say it – I\’m more sick of those who are so stupid that they don\’t realize it for what it is.
These unions and DRUG COMPANIES are PIGS!
By Palazzo
thank you to Mike Cappelli

Monique
Editor
14 years ago

Stipulating your premise, Palazzo, the difference is that the drug companies paid a hefty fine for being pigs.

Tim
Tim
14 years ago

Bet the Obamabots are hoping Pfizer makes a pill strong enough to relieve their suffering. Unfortunately (for them) there is no cure for the psychiatric disorder known as liberalism.

Monique
Editor
14 years ago

It’s Bush’s fault!!
… oh, wait, keep the mantra in the drawer this one time.

bobc
bobc
14 years ago

Tim, There is a pill that will relieve their suffering and psychiatric ills, it’s called the suicide pill.

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