Waxman snipes at PhRMA

The pharmaceutical industry may have breathed a sigh of relief when President Clinton did not hammer it during the State of the Union address last month. But the animosity between the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) and Democrats in Congress has not abated.

In a "Dear Colleagues" letter posted on his Web site last week, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) charges PhRMA with continuing to run a campaign against efforts to extend a prescription drug benefit to senior citizens. He attached copies of internal PhRMA documents and correspondence, which show that the trade association uses polling to calibrate its lobbying and publicity campaigns, which include what Waxman characterized as a "manufactured grass roots campaign."...