In the News

There is so much information that is being published daily about the pharmaceutical industry and your right to safe and affordable prescription drugs. Take a look at the articles below. Make sure to take a moment and let us know your thoughts.

Did we miss something? If you have a great story or a lead on a local article, please contact us.

September 1, 2011
TechDirt
By Mike Masnick

While the Justice Department spun the taking of $500 million from Google as an important step in "protecting Americans," the reality appears to be that it's doing exactly the opposite. While there certainly may be some online pharmacies that sell fake and fraudulent (and potentially dangerous) drugs, the government is conveniently conflating those scammers with legitimate drugs reimported to the US as gray market imports. Those are still legitimate drugs, but are just more reasonably priced. In such cases, a very strong argument can be made for the fact that these drugs do a ton to "protect Americans" by allowing them to stay healthy at a more reasonable price. Read more

August 31, 2011
The New York Times
By Duff Wilson

Some drug makers are using an indirect method to delay competition from low-cost generic products by promising not to introduce their own generic versions if a potential competitor delays its entry into the market, the Federal Trade Commission said in a report on Wednesday.

Until lately, the so-called pay-for-delay cases have focused mostly on cash payments by drug companies to settle patent litigation with generic competitors in return for concessions on when to enter the market. These new agreements add a twist to the patent settlements.

The industry contends they are legal business decisions.

The F.T.C. says they are illegal sweetheart deals that cost consumers $3.5 billion a year. Read more

August 24, 2011
MSN HealthDay
By Steven Reinberg

Since 2010, the number of drugs either in short supply or not available at all has risen dramatically, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Most of these are generic drugs given by injection and used in hospitals to treat serious conditions such as breast and testicular cancer. These shortages are putting patients at risk and compromising their care, experts say. Read more

Posted August 18, 2011
FiercePharma
By Tracy Staton

When seniors hit the Medicare Part D donut hole, they don't switch to less expensive brands or even cheaper generics, a new Harvard Medical School/CVS Caremark study found. They stop taking meds altogether. Read more

August 15, 2011
The New York Times
By Robert Pear

Medicaid gets much deeper discounts on many prescription drugs than Medicare, in part because Medicaid discounts are set by law whereas Medicare prices are negotiated by private insurers and drug companies, federal investigators said Monday in a new report.

The report, from the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, could be used by lawmakers trying to cut drug prices as Congress looks for ways to rein in the cost of Medicare under the new deficit-reduction law. Read more