Discussion:Big Pharma Just Won
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Discussion Forum Index --> General Chat --> Big Pharma Just Won
| 24 September 2009 | |
| There is a markup going on right now on the Baucus compromise, which is the Senate health bill.
Sen. Nelson(D) from Florida offered an amendment to fix the giveaway to Pharma that was in the 2003 prescription drug bill. The giveaway involved the fact that the Federal government CANNOT by law use it's clout to bargain for volume discounts for the Medicare Prescription drug plan. Not surprisingly, Big Pharma just won. All Republicans voted against Sen. Nelson's proposed Amendment, AND three of the Democrats did as well, including Sen. Baucus, chairman of the committee. I thought the Republicans were the party of free markets? Yet by law we can't negotiate for a better deal? And double SHAME on the 3 Democrats as well, since those 3 votes allowed the Amendment to fail. Representative government $$ at work. | |
| 29 September 2009 | |
| Been off-line trout fishing and roaming so just catching up on the fish tales (threads). When you say negotiate, you really mean dictate prices. Currently 67% of the prescriptions filled are for generic drugs. Generic drugs are actually cheaper in the US than Canada. Thanks to competition and not government. Therefore, 33% of the prescriptions are for patented drugs. For patent drugs, there are not two or more suppliers with which to negotiate. If the drug company is unwilling to sell at the “negotiated price”, no double congress will mandate it. They have done this to pharmacists on birth control drugs.
However, it will bring health cost down. When the current patented drugs expire and become generic …. and no new drugs are developed, the spending on drugs will drop about 80%. The only other option would be the developing European model where government is researching and developing drugs. The drug companies are essentially manufacturers (like generic drugs). While the data and conclusions are in dispute, it appears the European companies are developing fewer drugs and are making their money in the US. (The conclusion depends are whether you are reading the NYT’s or Wall St. J.) | |
