Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: FDA Cracking down on cheap drugs.

This is topic FDA Cracking down on cheap drugs. in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 03-13-2003, 12:29 PM:

Another nail in the coffin for those who cannot afford the over-inflated prices of perscription drugs in the USA.

NEW YORK (March 12) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is abandoning a relaxed view toward the flocking of Americans to Canada for cheaper drugs and is threatening legal action against those who aid the practice, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The newspaper said an FDA official recently issued a warning to third parties, which could include such companies as UnitedHealth Group Inc., that they may be violating civil and even criminal law by making it possible for Americans to buy drugs from Canada.

The FDA until now has not wanted to be seen punishing U.S. consumers, particularly senior citizens, who are seeking lower-cost medicines north of the border, the Journal said.

It added that the agency's new regulatory stance, though still being defined, could lead to a collision with some U.S. insurance companies and others who help American citizens import prescription drugs from Canada and elsewhere.

Drugs in Canada, the Journal said, can be as much as 80 percent cheaper due to stricter government pricing, compared with the U.S. where drug costs have been soaring.

All parties "who cause a prohibited act" can "be found civilly and criminally liable" under the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the Journal quoted William Hubbard, the FDA associate commissioner for policy and planning, as saying in a Feb. 12 letter.

"Those who aid and abet a criminal violation of the act, or conspire to violate the act, can also be found criminally liable."

Hubbard, according to the newspaper, added that "any party participating in" an import plan in which a health insurer or claims processor helps arrange a purchase in Canada "does so at its own legal risk."

UnitedHealth Group officials could not immediately be reached for comment early on Wednesday morning.
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More greed in action? Sure seems like it....

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 03-13-2003, 10:34 PM:

Well lets see at the same time Glaxo Smith cut off distribution to any canadian pharmacy that sells to the US
And all Canadian manufactures of generic drug products that compete with US drugs can no longer export to the US
hmm sound like a foreign nation is now impossing its will on our internal system

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 03-14-2003, 12:13 AM:

It sure appears the drug manufacturers are profit driven, and to hell with those who can't afford to pay their prices. What is the difference between the same drug Canada and the U.S. has?

Probably absolutely NOTHING except the price. [Mad]

As per example:

Antenolol in the Canada is the same shit we have.
Lisinopril in Canada is the same shit we have.
Simvastatin in Canada is the same shit we have.
Naproxen in Canada is the same shit we have.
Nitroglycerin patch in Canada is the same shit we have.

All of this stuff meets the same manufacturing standards.

Enough said.....

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 03-14-2003, 09:56 AM:

Canadian drug patent laws require that in fewer years than the US requires manufacturers must permit generic low cost versions of the product

Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 03-14-2003, 10:14 AM:

Damn and I had acquired a taste for cheap drugs

" Canadian drug patent laws require that in fewer years than the US requires manufacturers must permit generic low cost versions of the product"

One way to look at this part of the problem is that US manufacturers invest zillions in R&D and come up with all the miracle drugs of the world. If there were not profit motivation, they wouldn't invest and we wouldn't have the miracle drugs at all. Eventually they become cheaper. Somehow the investors need to get their money back plus profit. All drugs were once expensive, then they get cheaper.
My step daughter is working now in cancer cure drug research. She has been for years and probably will be for years. The company that she works for (and has worked for) must somehow recoop their investment. Someday these drugs will be available and the company will charge a lot for them, then as time goes by they will get cheaper untill they will be common over the counter drugs. I can't think of how else we can motivate anyone to invest unless there are rewards

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 03-14-2003, 11:13 AM:

Again patent protection is still there it is just a shorter period of time coming back to a recurring theme one countries rules can not be impossed on another

Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 03-14-2003, 12:22 PM:

I personally have no problem with drug companies reinvesting money into research. But in the US, advertisements for prescription drugs have reached a point of absurdity. I'm sure doctors are tired of having their patients self-diagnose and ask for the "Purple Pill", based on seeing the TV ad several times a day. IMHO, those national ad campaigns use money that could better be spent on reseach.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 03-14-2003, 12:35 PM:

Greg, remember the tizzy flip-flap shit fit the major drug companies had several years ago when doctors wanted to perscribe generic drugs instead of brand-name drugs? They cried "Wolf" like there was no tomorrow.

Even Aspirin.....go to a local super market and look the prices over. It is amazing to see a drastic difference in price of the same stuff in a different bottle.

Also, check out the cough medicines. One brand is "X" number of dollars, and the generic version (exactly the same stuff in a different bottle) is considerably cheaper, and works just as well. [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Geoffrey Weiss (Member # 882) on 03-14-2003, 01:21 PM:

I work with a university medical school and here's a crazy idea... How about the National Institutes of Health funding drug research through universities and then the Federal Government administering drug distribution with,perhaps, a 10% profit. Makes up for some of that tax money that's not coming in because of the recession.

Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 03-14-2003, 01:49 PM:

The private sector is always much more efficient than the (any) govt bureaucracy.
Competition between rival drug companies also hastens the development of new drugs. If it were left up to one entity like the fed. govt. we'd never get the product.

Posted by Gordon McLeod (Member # 33) on 03-14-2003, 01:56 PM:

greg said "The private sector is always much more efficient than the (any) govt bureaucracy. "

I think the theatre industry is proof that some private sector is just more efficient at getting quickly to chapt 11 [Big Grin]

Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 03-14-2003, 02:07 PM:

Ultimately, a business that goes bankrupt does so because it does not know how to do business.
I'm not a fan of bankruptcy proceedings. The creditors put their trust in the bankrupt company, trusting them to keep their word. Instead they get screwed and the bankrupt individuals walk. [Mad]

As far as generic drugs go...
While I'd take them for a headache, if I were laying there with a life threatening disease and the Doctor said You can save $5 by taking the generic brand, I have no doubt I'd spend the extra money, just to be sure. I just don't trust that they are exactly the same, not being a chemist etc.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 03-14-2003, 06:08 PM:

Greg, the military has been using generic drugs for years without any problem.

Posted by Bill Enos (Member # 440) on 03-14-2003, 06:35 PM:

I take a drug that for an irregular heartbeat that is $147. name brand and $14.60 generic. The Dr. assures there is no difference and I can detect no difference. The Canadian price controls, from what I've read still allow manufacturers a generous but not outrageous profit as allowed here. If there was no money to be made in Canada they would not sell the products there at a loss or break even. In the U.S. we are being screwed by a dept, of the govt. that is obviously in the pocket of the drug companies.

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 03-14-2003, 09:56 PM:

Bill made the point I was trying to make. Thank you, Bill.

Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 03-14-2003, 10:03 PM:

"...In the U.S. we are being screwed by a dept, of the govt. that is obviously in the pocket of the drug companies...."

How do you guys keep track of all the conspiracies?

Posted by Paul G. Thompson (Member # 655) on 03-14-2003, 10:30 PM:

Greg, I tried keeping track. However, I must say in all honesty I lost count 20 years ago. [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 03-15-2003, 09:41 AM:

Competition between the drug companies only results in new "DISEASES" being invented, for which new expensive drugs can be developed to scare the American people into forking over their wallets in order to extend their lives that much longer.

What's next?
"Does your penis touch the toilet water when you go #2? This could be the sign of a serious condition. Ask your doctor about PeniDry..." [Roll Eyes]

=TMP=