Tuesday, June 26, 2007

"Five Facts PhRMA Will Ignore About Rx Importation"

Five Facts PhRMA Will Ignore About Rx Importation

Emanuel, Emerson, DeLauro, Berry Call for Passage of Importation Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In advance of today’s PhRMA’s staff “briefing” on prescription drug importation, U.S. Representatives Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), and Marion Berry (D-AR) released the top five facts PhRMA won’t tell you in today’s session:

#5 The same brand name drugs cost 35-55% percent less in other countries than they do in the United States. - The Congressional Budget Office
#4 Drug importation has been in place in the European Union for more than 20 years with no safety problems. – Dr. Peter Rost, Former Vice President of Marketing, Pfizer
#3 The pharmaceutical industry has imported drugs and sold them in the U.S. for decades. In fact, 40 percent of the drugs consumed by Americans today are made in foreign manufacturing plants. – Congress Daily, June 5, 2007
#2 Prescription drug importation will result in $50 billion in direct savings alone over the next decade, a $10 billion benefit to the federal budget. – The Congressional Budget Office
#1 Passage of the Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act will finally assure the security of our drug supply.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dr Rost,

I just wanted to thank you for this blog.

I work in the industry at a "medical communications" company (sometimes working with Pfizer) and although I have not directly seen much in the way of bad practices, I can't thank you enough for speaking out on the subject of Big Pharma.

It's funny, but I've rarely heard mention of the fact that the majority of people who work at US Pharma companies are using the same insurance the rest of us are, paying the same prices for meds at the doctor's office, and getting screwed in the interim. You would think that if anyone could help, it would be these people on the front line.

Thanks again!

Anonymous said...

Many of us work for Big Pharma and made the decision to report dishonest behavior regardless of its impact on us, our company or the industry.