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From: Palin'sAnusRimmer on 15 Dec 2009 13:53
"The heartburn medication Nexium, for example, costs $36 in Spain and
$424 in the United States."

But you just know most Republicans, the Chamber of Commerce, and the
remnants of Bush's pro-industry, anti-consumer FDA will back
drugmakers on this one!

Now, who you seniors gonna get mad at?
-----------------

"Drugmakers fight plan to allow imports"

By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Drugmakers intensified their lobbying push Monday against a popular
proposal to allow Americans to buy cheaper drugs from other countries,
one of several heated disputes that have bogged down negotiations over
a heath-care reform bill.

The talks prompted hospitals, insurers and other major industries
attempting to steer the legislation in their favor to push for changes
as lawmakers work through a handful of complex issues. Medical
providers, for example, are battling a proposed Democratic compromise
that would jettison a public insurance option in favor of a limited
expansion of Medicare, while the U.S. Chamber of Commerce flew dozens
of corporate executives to Washington last week to meet with
lawmakers.

The fight over the proposal further complicates Democrats' efforts to
build support for health-care legislation in the Senate. The dispute
also poses a particularly difficult political challenge for President
Obama, who co-sponsored a similar bill when he was in Congress and who
included funding for the idea in his first budget.

The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.), would allow
pharmacies and wholesalers to import U.S.-approved medication from
Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, where drug costs are
far lower because of price controls. The measure has attracted
bipartisan support from lawmakers, including Sens. Olympia J. Snowe (R-
Maine) and John McCain (R-Ariz.).

But the pharmaceutical industry -- which has been a key supporter of
health-care reform after reaching an agreement with the White House
earlier this year -- has responded with a fierce lobbying campaign
aimed at killing the proposal, focusing on Democratic senators from
states with large drug and research sectors.

In addition, Margaret A. Hamburg, commissioner of the Food and Drug
Administration, raised safety concerns about the Dorgan amendment in a
letter to the Senate, warning that the agency is unable to ensure that
such drug imports would not be counterfeited or contaminated. The FDA
has cited such concerns for more than a decade, repeatedly rebuffing
attempts by Congress to allow prescription drug imports.

The dispute traps Obama between his campaign rhetoric and the
political realities of health-care reform, which depends in large part
on tacit support from drugmakers and other industry groups. Under the
earlier agreement with the White House, the pharmaceutical industry
agreed to contribute $80 billion toward reform over 10 years in
exchange for protection from further cuts.

"It's about being a candidate as opposed to being president," said Ken
Johnson, senior vice president of the Pharmaceutical Research &
Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). "When you become president, you
realize that the sound bites don't always work in reality. . . . I
think they've looked at the problems now and have concluded there's no
way to ensure the safety of medicines reimported into the United
States right now."

The White House is attempting to strike a balance, expressing approval
of the idea to allow drug imports while bowing to the FDA's safety
concerns. "The president supports reimportation of safe and effective
drugs," White House spokeswoman Linda Douglass said, adding that the
FDA "will continue exploring policy options to create a pathway" to
allow the purchases.

An anticipated vote on Dorgan's amendment was initially blocked on
Thursday by Democratic Sen. Thomas R. Carper of Delaware, home to the
U.S. headquarters of pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. Carper backs
a different version of the legislation that supporters decry as a
poison pill.

Carper said in a statement that he shares the FDA's concerns that
"Senator Dorgan's amendment could potentially allow unsafe,
counterfeited drugs into the United States, contaminating our drug
supply. This is a complicated issue that affects people's lives. We
should make sure that the FDA says it's safe before we reimport drugs
from other countries."

McCain complained about the role of PhRMA, saying the powerful group
"has been over here lobbying furiously" because the amendment "breaks
the agreement that the White House made."

AARP, the powerful seniors' group that supports drug importation, has
notified senators that it will keep close track of votes on the Dorgan
amendment and will use the tally in its rankings of senior-friendly
lawmakers. AARP Senior Vice President David Sloane said Friday that
the legislation "would create a system for safe, legal importation of
prescription drugs from abroad" and would help lower drug costs.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated the proposal would save the
government $19 billion over the next 10 years, and Dorgan estimated
that consumers would save $80 billion more. He pointed to vast price
differences in drugs made in the same factories; an equivalent amount
of the heartburn medication Nexium, for example, costs $36 in Spain
and $424 in the United States, he said.

"The pharmaceutical industry wouldn't be able to impose these price
increases because then you would have competition," Dorgan said on the
Senate floor last week. "Freedom equals competition in my judgment
here on this issue."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/14/AR2009121401409.html
From: h on 15 Dec 2009 22:55

"h fucker" <hf(a)spam.com> wrote in message

My dog, you're a loser. Back in the bin with you.


From: h on 15 Dec 2009 22:58

"h" <tmclone(a)searchmachine.com> wrote in message
news:hg9lm3$n0s$1(a)aioe.org...
>
> "h fucker" <hf(a)spam.com> wrote in message
>
> My dog, you're a loser. Back in the bin with you.

On retrospect, I think Rod Speed morphed, yet again. Soooo boring.


From: STEPHEN on 16 Dec 2009 09:36
Its rat poison
"Palin'sAnusRimmer" <perryneheum(a)hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:940ac607-6245-4272-8ecd-53cd0452d167(a)g25g2000vbl.googlegroups.com...
> "The heartburn medication Nexium, for example, costs $36 in Spain and
> $424 in the United States."
>
> But you just know most Republicans, the Chamber of Commerce, and the
> remnants of Bush's pro-industry, anti-consumer FDA will back
> drugmakers on this one!
>
> Now, who you seniors gonna get mad at?
> -----------------
>
> "Drugmakers fight plan to allow imports"
>
> By Dan Eggen
> Washington Post Staff Writer
> Tuesday, December 15, 2009
>
> Drugmakers intensified their lobbying push Monday against a popular
> proposal to allow Americans to buy cheaper drugs from other countries,
> one of several heated disputes that have bogged down negotiations over
> a heath-care reform bill.
>
> The talks prompted hospitals, insurers and other major industries
> attempting to steer the legislation in their favor to push for changes
> as lawmakers work through a handful of complex issues. Medical
> providers, for example, are battling a proposed Democratic compromise
> that would jettison a public insurance option in favor of a limited
> expansion of Medicare, while the U.S. Chamber of Commerce flew dozens
> of corporate executives to Washington last week to meet with
> lawmakers.
>
> The fight over the proposal further complicates Democrats' efforts to
> build support for health-care legislation in the Senate. The dispute
> also poses a particularly difficult political challenge for President
> Obama, who co-sponsored a similar bill when he was in Congress and who
> included funding for the idea in his first budget.
>
> The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Byron L. Dorgan (D-N.D.), would allow
> pharmacies and wholesalers to import U.S.-approved medication from
> Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, where drug costs are
> far lower because of price controls. The measure has attracted
> bipartisan support from lawmakers, including Sens. Olympia J. Snowe (R-
> Maine) and John McCain (R-Ariz.).
>
> But the pharmaceutical industry -- which has been a key supporter of
> health-care reform after reaching an agreement with the White House
> earlier this year -- has responded with a fierce lobbying campaign
> aimed at killing the proposal, focusing on Democratic senators from
> states with large drug and research sectors.
>
> In addition, Margaret A. Hamburg, commissioner of the Food and Drug
> Administration, raised safety concerns about the Dorgan amendment in a
> letter to the Senate, warning that the agency is unable to ensure that
> such drug imports would not be counterfeited or contaminated. The FDA
> has cited such concerns for more than a decade, repeatedly rebuffing
> attempts by Congress to allow prescription drug imports.
>
> The dispute traps Obama between his campaign rhetoric and the
> political realities of health-care reform, which depends in large part
> on tacit support from drugmakers and other industry groups. Under the
> earlier agreement with the White House, the pharmaceutical industry
> agreed to contribute $80 billion toward reform over 10 years in
> exchange for protection from further cuts.
>
> "It's about being a candidate as opposed to being president," said Ken
> Johnson, senior vice president of the Pharmaceutical Research &
> Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). "When you become president, you
> realize that the sound bites don't always work in reality. . . . I
> think they've looked at the problems now and have concluded there's no
> way to ensure the safety of medicines reimported into the United
> States right now."
>
> The White House is attempting to strike a balance, expressing approval
> of the idea to allow drug imports while bowing to the FDA's safety
> concerns. "The president supports reimportation of safe and effective
> drugs," White House spokeswoman Linda Douglass said, adding that the
> FDA "will continue exploring policy options to create a pathway" to
> allow the purchases.
>
> An anticipated vote on Dorgan's amendment was initially blocked on
> Thursday by Democratic Sen. Thomas R. Carper of Delaware, home to the
> U.S. headquarters of pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. Carper backs
> a different version of the legislation that supporters decry as a
> poison pill.
>
> Carper said in a statement that he shares the FDA's concerns that
> "Senator Dorgan's amendment could potentially allow unsafe,
> counterfeited drugs into the United States, contaminating our drug
> supply. This is a complicated issue that affects people's lives. We
> should make sure that the FDA says it's safe before we reimport drugs
> from other countries."
>
> McCain complained about the role of PhRMA, saying the powerful group
> "has been over here lobbying furiously" because the amendment "breaks
> the agreement that the White House made."
>
> AARP, the powerful seniors' group that supports drug importation, has
> notified senators that it will keep close track of votes on the Dorgan
> amendment and will use the tally in its rankings of senior-friendly
> lawmakers. AARP Senior Vice President David Sloane said Friday that
> the legislation "would create a system for safe, legal importation of
> prescription drugs from abroad" and would help lower drug costs.
>
> The Congressional Budget Office estimated the proposal would save the
> government $19 billion over the next 10 years, and Dorgan estimated
> that consumers would save $80 billion more. He pointed to vast price
> differences in drugs made in the same factories; an equivalent amount
> of the heartburn medication Nexium, for example, costs $36 in Spain
> and $424 in the United States, he said.
>
> "The pharmaceutical industry wouldn't be able to impose these price
> increases because then you would have competition," Dorgan said on the
> Senate floor last week. "Freedom equals competition in my judgment
> here on this issue."
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/14/AR2009121401409.html


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