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Jill · 04-28-2011, 11:58 AM

Oh yeah, another issue I'd LOVE to see Congress and this Administration take on -- the fucking Pharmaceutical industry! Now there's an industry both Republicans and Democrats have been in the pocket of, to the enormous detriment of our country's fiscal health.

Let's start by doing away with granting exclusive patents for drugs, that allow Big Pharma to jack up prices exponentially, ultimately costing all of us dearly. For an example, see this story about the FDA granting an exclusive patent to KV Pharmaceuticals to manufacture a drug that compounding pharmacies have been providing for decades for $10 per injection, who then immediately jacked up the price to $1,500 per injection!

http://www.tampabay.com/incoming/pre...o-1500/1156358

The idea behind taking "production" away from individual compounding pharmacies and centralizing its manufacture was well-intended. It was meant to ensure a consistent product and wider availability. But no one anticipated that the greedy Pharma creeps would literally gouge the public for a drug they did absolutely NO R&D ON! Now it's going to cost us $30 million more annually, much of that burden being spread to all of us in higher insurance premiums, and a significant portion being picked up by the government who will have to subsidize it for Medicaid patients.

I acknowledge that Republicans are against more government regulation, but I contend regulating the price of pharmaceuticals is not only called-for, but a moral imperative. When I lived in Mexico, I could buy my name-brand (not generic) birth control pills, over the counter, for $1 a month. In the U.S. I had to have a prescription and they cost $25 a month. You can't tell me that it's fair that Americans should have to fork over 25 times the cost because Big Pharma lies and says they have to recoup R&D costs. Why on our backs and not on those in other countries? Why after so many years on the market, when it's clear the initial R&D costs are already long paid for? Medicare Part D was nothing but a gigantic gift with a huge bow for the Pharmaceutical Industry.

We stopped allowing cigarette companies to advertise on television decades ago. It's time to prohibit drug companies from spending billions of dollars on television advertising. Those billions should be used to cover the costs of R&D and to actually pay for the manufacture of medications. Individuals can't just walk into a store and buy these medications over the counter anyway. They can only be prescribed by a doctor. So limit Drug Company advertising to Professional publications and direct marketing to the doctors who would be prescribing them. This would, by default, drive costs down.

There are BIG ways we can severely reduce the cost of healthcare in this country without decimating Medicare as we know it, which will make a big impact on government spending. But our Representatives aren't willing to even put these things on the table. Instead we spend months and years arguing over $375 million for Title X funding, which is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

04-28-2011, 11:58 AM	#113
Jill Colonist Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Redondo Beach, CA (transplant from St. Louis, MO) Posts: 218	Oh yeah, another issue I'd LOVE to see Congress and this Administration take on -- the fucking Pharmaceutical industry! Now there's an industry both Republicans and Democrats have been in the pocket of, to the enormous detriment of our country's fiscal health. Let's start by doing away with granting exclusive patents for drugs, that allow Big Pharma to jack up prices exponentially, ultimately costing all of us dearly. For an example, see this story about the FDA granting an exclusive patent to KV Pharmaceuticals to manufacture a drug that compounding pharmacies have been providing for decades for $10 per injection, who then immediately jacked up the price to $1,500 per injection! http://www.tampabay.com/incoming/pre...o-1500/1156358 The idea behind taking "production" away from individual compounding pharmacies and centralizing its manufacture was well-intended. It was meant to ensure a consistent product and wider availability. But no one anticipated that the greedy Pharma creeps would literally gouge the public for a drug they did absolutely NO R&D ON! Now it's going to cost us $30 million more annually, much of that burden being spread to all of us in higher insurance premiums, and a significant portion being picked up by the government who will have to subsidize it for Medicaid patients. I acknowledge that Republicans are against more government regulation, but I contend regulating the price of pharmaceuticals is not only called-for, but a moral imperative. When I lived in Mexico, I could buy my name-brand (not generic) birth control pills, over the counter, for $1 a month. In the U.S. I had to have a prescription and they cost $25 a month. You can't tell me that it's fair that Americans should have to fork over 25 times the cost because Big Pharma lies and says they have to recoup R&D costs. Why on our backs and not on those in other countries? Why after so many years on the market, when it's clear the initial R&D costs are already long paid for? Medicare Part D was nothing but a gigantic gift with a huge bow for the Pharmaceutical Industry. We stopped allowing cigarette companies to advertise on television decades ago. It's time to prohibit drug companies from spending billions of dollars on television advertising. Those billions should be used to cover the costs of R&D and to actually pay for the manufacture of medications. Individuals can't just walk into a store and buy these medications over the counter anyway. They can only be prescribed by a doctor. So limit Drug Company advertising to Professional publications and direct marketing to the doctors who would be prescribing them. This would, by default, drive costs down. There are BIG ways we can severely reduce the cost of healthcare in this country without decimating Medicare as we know it, which will make a big impact on government spending. But our Representatives aren't willing to even put these things on the table. Instead we spend months and years arguing over $375 million for Title X funding, which is nothing in the grand scheme of things.