Aventis Pasteur

Congress may include $10 million for Monroe project in health bill.

Gov. Ed Rendell and federal lawmakers from Pennsylvania believe they have found a creative way to help pay for a sewer project so that Aventis Pasteur will continue making flu vaccine at its Monroe County plant.

Under their plan, Congress would divert $10 million from a massive national effort to protect Americans from a widespread flu outbreak, U.S. Rep. Paul Kanjorski said. Federal health officials want $125 million to ensure that a critical shortage of flu vaccine won't happen again.

If the $10 million doesn't come from the $125 million sought by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, it could come as part of supplemental federal funding bills for Iraq or South Asia tsunami relief.

The $10 million would be part of a $40 million package to fund the sewer project, vital to plans by Aventis Pasteur to expand its flu vaccine plant in Pocono Township...

Kanjorski said he, fellow Democrat Rendell and Republican U.S. Sens. Arlen Specter and Rick Santorum have spoken over the last week with a number of federal officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, to find a funding solution.

Rendell wants to provide a financial package so Pocono Township can build a sewer system that would benefit Aventis Pasteur. The company says it will halt a $160 million expansion of its flu vaccine plant if funding isn't promised by February.

Aventis Pasteur, which employs 1,500 at its Swiftwater headquarters, is the sole provider of flu vaccine in the United States, producing more than 50 million doses per year.

By Matt Birkbeck

The Morning Call Jan 15, 2005

Note [from Santorum Watch editor]:

Aventis Pasteur gave net $2,500 between Jan 1999 and Jan 2002, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Aventis contributed $2,000 to Santorum's campaign on Oct 15, 2003, according to FEC.gov. Aventis Pasteur is the "vaccines unit" of Aventis.

Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America, which Aventis and Aventis Pasteur are members of,

gave $2,500 between Jan 1997 and March 2000. (Former Republican Congressman Billy Tauzin is now the head of PhRMA.) Read more

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