Ad Urges NY Lawmakers to Refuse Glaxo Contributions

By Karen Pallarito

March 5, 2003

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A New York senior advocacy group on Wednesday ran a half-page "open letter" in the Times Union of Albany urging state legislators to refuse political contributions from drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline.

The New York StateWide Senior Action Council "is probably the first" to call on all state lawmakers to refuse political action committee, or PAC, contributions from Glaxo, Michael Burgess, the group's executive director, told Reuters Health.

He said the pharmaceutical manufacturer doled out a total of $100,550 in PAC money to New York State legislators and officials from 2001 to 2002.

The Albany-based group is asking lawmakers who have already received donations to send that money to its "Affordable Medicine Fund."

"All monies received will be used to provide drugs for uninsured and underinsured New York seniors," Burgess said.

The letter is signed by Pearl Reeves, president of the board of the New York StateWide Senior Action Council, and endorsed by fellow members of a national coalition seeking a boycott of Glaxo products.

The newspaper ad also asks lawmakers to pass a resolution like one recently approved in Vermont, which seeks to force Glaxo to resume supplying its products to Canadian pharmacies that provide medicines to patients in the U.S.

Manhattan Democrat Richard Gottfried, chair of the New York State Assembly Health Committee, is planning to sponsor a Vermont-like resolution and will circulate a letter to Glaxo for members to sign, said Shay Bergin, his legislative associate.

The "Stop Glaxo Coalition" is retaliating against Glaxo's decision in January to cut off supplies of its drugs to Canadian pharmacies that serve America's seniors. New York's senior advocacy group, a coalition member, contends Glaxo's policy is jeopardizing the health of thousands of New Yorkers who rely on Canadian mail order pharmacies for safe, affordable medications.

Glaxo, the world's second-largest drugmaker, insists its policy is aimed at protecting patients. The company said it cannot ensure the safety of products shipped from Canada to the U.S.

Imports of drugs from Canada for personal use are technically illegal, but the US Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) has not enforced the ban.

Burgess's group also has asked State Comptroller Alan Hevesi to put pressure on Glaxo to reverse its policy. New York State's pension fund, which Hevesi oversees, holds more than 5 million shares of the drugmaker's stock. Senior, public retiree and disability groups are meeting with Hevesi next Wednesday.