The responses (and factual corrections) to the industry’s full-page Globe ad keep rolling in. Senator Moore (Senate Chairman of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing) posted a great answer to the ad on WBUR’s Commonhealth yesterday. This is definitely worth checking out – here are some excerpted highlights:
“In other words, the Massachusetts law puts patients first, the integrity of physicians a close second, and enhancing corporate profits further down our list of priorities.”
“If the industry is serious about its own code of marketing and wants its member companies to follow, how can it be opposed to adopting that same code as the law for such companies doing business in Massachusetts?”
“Drug companies suggest that this reporting requirement and subsequent public disclosure will put them at a disadvantage to competitors in other states. However, information from all clinical trials is already public information through a federal clinical trials database.”
“We accept the word of the industry – as stated in their marketing codes – that the
industry wants to preserve the integrity of the medical profession. And our
legislation will help them attain this most laudable goal. Therefore, we urge the Governor to sign the bill.”
This is just the tip of the iceberg – check it out!
Another interesting tidbit, USA Today reported yesterday that drug companies are raising prices by as much as 100% to over 1000% for a number of prescription drugs that treat life-threatening conditions! According to a University of Minnesota study, the number of drugs facing such increases may be as much as doubled from just 4 years ago. Here’s just one example cited:
“Questcor Pharmaceuticals last August raised the wholesale price on Acthar, which treats spasms in babies, from about $1,650 a vial to more than $23,000.”
And, people question the need for prescription drug cost control?
Lisa Kaplan Howe
Lisa, I believe prescriptions drug usage is at an alarming status. Someone needs to step in and knock the drug companies down. I was appalled when I found out that more than 125,000 Americans die from drug reactions a year. That would make it number five on the leading causes of death in the United States.
Does pharmakeia do mammongrams?