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Can the pharmaceutical industry be rehabilitated?
The directors of Reform Pharma, a new initiative of Children’s Health Defense (CHD), believe it can.
The initiative, launched last weekend at CHD’s 2nd Annual Conference, is a 50-state project whose goal is to restore medical freedom, promote fully informed consent and end Big Pharma’s political influence and direct-to-consumer TV drug commercials.
“Big Pharma has captured the healthcare system,” said Amy Miller, Reform Pharma director of marketing. “Reform Pharma aims to end pharmaceutical industry corruption and restore healthcare integrity by identifying and removing the specific mechanisms the industry uses to embed itself deep within our government, our media and our school system.”
CHD lawyer Justine Tanguay leads the project as director of campaign and research, along with Miller, a marketing executive and co-founder of the Tennessee Coalition for Vaccine Choice.
Commenting on the launch, CHD President Mary Holland said:
“One only has to look at the handling of the Vioxx debacle to understand the type of corruption running rampant throughout this industry.
“CHD’s Reform Pharma initiative will be dedicated exclusively to its mission of addressing the corrupt merger of Pharma and government that we witnessed so vividly during COVID. We are proud to launch this crucial targeted initiative to enhance and amplify CHD’s other important work.”
Over the past two decades, the pharmaceutical industry has racked up over $100 billion in penalties for illegal activities ranging from fraud, product safety violations and off-label or unapproved promotion of medical products, according to Reform Pharma’s press release.
A 10-point plan includes restoring medical freedom, exposing the AAP
Reform Pharma is guided by a “10-Point Plan” to:
- Restore Medical Freedom
- Separate Pharma & State
- Reform Regulatory & Oversight Agencies
- Establish Scientific Integrity in Research & Publication
- Hold Perpetrators Accountable
- Ban Pharmaceutical Advertising
- Reinstate Vaccine Manufacturer Liability
- Protect Doctor-Patient Relationship
- Prohibit Gain-of-function Research
- Secure Affordable Drug Prices
The initiative initially will focus on restoring medical freedom around vaccines, educating parents on the over-prescribing of psychotropic drugs for children and teens and exposing organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that push vaccines and drugs on behalf of pharmaceutical companies.
“People’s ability to work, travel, socialize and attend events should not be based on their vaccination status or their level of compliance to unjust, arbitrary and unconstitutional mandates,” Tanguay said.
Reform Pharma will work to end censorship, shadow banning and gaslighting, which “restrict the public’s access to the full body of medical science,” Tanguay said, so people are able to make fully informed medical decisions for themselves and their families.
The AAP is high on the initiative’s list of organizations that must be reformed. According to Tanguay, the organization is seen by most as ethical and dedicated to promoting children’s health.
“But when you look underneath the surface, they are a lobbying arm for Big Pharma,” she said. “They’re promoting all these things that are against children’s health and well-being — and a lot of people aren’t aware.”
With significant funding from government, corporations and foundations, the AAP aggressively promotes vaccines for babies and young children despite concerning safety signals.
Reform Pharma also is looking to end the backdoor dealings and the leveraging of Big Pharma and the U.S. government’s collective money and power that perpetuates the cycle of sickness and pharmaceutical dependency, according to Tanguay.
As part of that effort, the initiative will target the revolving door between the government and the pharmaceutical industry.
“You have someone that’s in charge of the FDA [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] and then all of a sudden they’re in charge of vaccines at Merck,” Tanguay said. “That has to end.”
Reform Pharma also seeks to end direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising in the U.S. — the only other nation besides New Zealand that allows this practice.
Building on progress made in Tennessee
Reform Pharma is building on the success of the collaborative efforts that led to the passage of Tennessee’s Mature Minor Doctrine Clarification Act, which became law in May of this year, ending the practice of allowing children under 18 to be vaccinated without parental consent. Dedicated citizens and informed legislators willing to take a stand were joined by Rolf Hazelhurst, CHD senior staff attorney who was brought in by Reform Pharma to provide expert testimony.
The law also prevents Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services from vaccinating, without a court order, children placed in foster care.
Reform Pharma also organized an event during the Tennessee legislature’s special session to educate lawmakers on how much information pharmaceutical companies, the AAP and health agencies have been withholding from the public about psychotropic drugs and other issues, Miller said.
How it got started
Tanguay, an experienced litigator who has dedicated her career to advocating for children, traced the inspiration for Reform Pharma to 2020 when the pandemic hit and restrictions were imposed on everyone.
Tanguay and the CHD legal team had long been aware of the split between those who went along with pharma’s narrative, and those who opposed it and were trying to bring out the truth. With COVID-19, they saw that split widen considerably.
When they saw unprecedented levels of censorship and “cancellation” being added to the lockdowns and warp-speed vaccine rollout plans, the vision to create a campaign was born, Tanguay said, “with a designated team who would be laser-focused on exposing Big Pharma corruption and its conflicts of interest.”
The idea was to “use policy, bold messaging and communications to mobilize a boots-on-the-ground army that would push back and demand change and accountability,” she said.
Realizing these concerns were shared by many, CHD’s vision also included partnering with like-minded individuals and organizations to bring about the needed overhaul of the pharmaceutical industry.
How to get involved
Reform Pharma will coordinate with existing CHD state chapters, outside organizations and individuals to help advance its mission.
“We are looking for people who want to be actionable, who can take the lead in states,” Miller said. “We’ll serve as a hub, to provide the tools for them to use in their own states.”
The Reform Pharma website already features articles on vaccines and school-based health centers, and in the near future will provide a growing library of tools for activists to do research and organize events and activities.
To connect with Reform Pharma, visit ReformPharmaNow.org and sign up for their newsletter and action alerts.
