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October 14, 2004
What You Can't
Say About Drug Importation
Free
Speech Banned by Big Pharma
By
EVELYN PRINGLE
When Bush signed the new Medicare bill
on Dec. 8, 2003, he called it "the greatest advance in health
care coverage for America's seniors since the founding of Medicare''
in 1965. No he did not say this on Saturday Night Live, he said
it at the White House.
The bill did more for the pharmaceutical
industry than it did for seniors citizens. Drug companies can
continue to charge outrageous prices because Republicans refuse
to allow the importation of cheaper prescription drugs from Canada
and other countries.
Prescription drug spending
is rising faster than any other health care expense. In 2003,
total spending by Medicare beneficiaries on prescription drugs
was $95 billion and senior citizens account for nearly 34% of
all prescriptions sold.
The US is the only industrialized
country without some form of price controls on drugs. It also
accounts for more than half of the industry's profits. And profits
would have to be high because according to recent reports from
the top pharmaceutical companies, CEO compensation packages range
from $23.9 million to $150.9 million for one year.
Who Is Peter
Rost?
Peter Rost is a physician and
pharmaceutical industry executive who began advocating for drug
importation after he posted a positive review on Amazon.com about
the book "The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive
Us and What To Do About It," written by former New England
Journal of Medicine editor Marcia Angell.
On September 10, 2004, Rost,
was a featured speaker at the annual meeting of the Society for
Professional Journalists, and openly criticized the high cost
of prescription drugs and the efforts by the pharmaceutical industry
and politicians to block the importation of cheaper drug from
other countries, according to Independent Media TV on 9/16/04
Rost is the first drug-industry
executive to dispute publicly the industry and federal government
position that importing drugs isn't safe. Rost, citing extensive
experience with importing drug in Europe, says it is perfectly
safe, according to Knight Ridder on 9/30/04.
For the past 20 years, Rost
has been marketing pharmaceuticals and he is currently a Vice
President with Pfizer. Rost says that his #1 concern is for the
people who can not afford their prescription drugs. He believes
that people going without medication is a "bigger safety
issue than anything else," Independent reports.
Rost said that "[d]rug
companies are testifying that imported drugs are unsafe. Nothing
could be further from the truth" (St. Paul Pioneer Press,
9/24).
Does Importation
Work? Springfield MA - A Case Study
According to FACSNET, in 1996,
the city of Springfield, Mass, paid $33 million in health care
costs. This year, the cost is estimated at $70 million, according
to Michael Albano, who was mayor of Springfield from 1996 to
January of 2004.
Albano and Peter Rost both
spoke on the importation issue at the Sept 10, 2004, FACS seminar
at the Society of Professional Journalists convention.
Albano says, ìDuring
my eight years as mayor, I watched this health care crisis develop:
a 5 percent increase the first year, 10 percent, 15 to 20 percent
increases ... It became abundantly apparent that no corporation
in America, and cities are corporations, could sustain that type
of growth without going bankrupt. As a business, you fold; but
as a government, you have to continue to provide services that
citizens expect, deserve and demand,î Albano said.
Of the $33 million that Springfield
paid for health care in 1996, prescription drugs accounted for
$8.6 million. This year, out of $70 million in health care costs,
prescription drugs will cost about $20 million. (Springfield
has about 7,000 employees and 2,000 retirees and dependents.
The employee numbers have changed little over the eight-year
period.)
ìPrices have more than
doubled for the same amount of prescription medication,î
Albano said. While Albano was mayor, the situation presented
a tough choice: Find a way to reduce health care costs or cut
city services.
ìI said, ëThatís
enough,íî Albano said. ìSo I took trip to
Windsor, Ontario. I looked at some pharmacies and selected a
Canadian provider. And what a surprise: the exact same medications,
the exact same name brands ñ no difference whatsoeverî
ñ except the price.
ìIn the first year the
city implemented the program, it saved $3 million. This year
the city will save about $6.5 million,î Albano said. ìThis
is substantial for a city the size of Springfield,î he
said. Springfield is now considered a pioneer in the many efforts
to legalize drug re-importation from Canada.
Rost openly lauded Albanoís
efforts and successes in bringing affordable prescription drugs
to Springfield.
Lawmakers
Want Vote On Importation
Bush and Republican leaders
in Congress are refusing to allow a quick vote on a bill for
drug importation, even though many rank-and-file Republicans
in Congress and most Democrats back the idea, says the New York
Times on 9/16/04.
Sen Byron Dorgan (D-ND) has
co-sponsored a bill with Sen. Olympia Snowe (R- Maine) that would
allow Americans to buy drugs from such heavily regulated nations
as Canada, where some prescription drugs can cost as much as
50 percent less than in the United States. The bill is designed
to provide American consumers with some relief from escalating
drug prices.
Dorgan and several other lawmakers
held press conferences to rally support for a vote to be taken
on the importation bill, which has languished in the Senate for
several months.
The House of Representatives
has already passed a bill allowing FDA-approved drugs to be imported
from Canada and other countries. But Senate Majority Leader Bill
Frist (R-TN) has refused to allow a similar bill to come up for
a vote in the Senate.
Supporters wrote to Frist urging
him to find time before the November elections to schedule a
promised vote. Missouri Republican Jo Ann Emerson and other members
of Congress say the law would pass if Frist would bring it to
the floor, the Missourian reports.
According to The Hill on 9/14/04,
Dorgan spokesman Barry Piatt said reimportation supporters would
seek a vote regardless of Fristís position. ìItís
going to happen,î Piatt said, adding that ìeverything
that comes to the floorî is a possible vehicle.
Piatt said Dorganís
reimportation bill has ìbroad consensus support in the
Senate and in the country.î A Democratic staffer said the
Dorgan bill may have 60 votes, says the Hill.
Democrats said the Food and
Drug Administration had no record of any dangers presented by
imported drugs. They argued that leading Republicans were using
safety as an excuse to protect drug companies that charge more
domestically for their products.
Sen Byron Dorgan (D-ND), said,
"Miracle drugs offer no miracles for people who cannot take
them" because of the cost. Rep Marion Berry (D-Ark) said,
"Here we are in a global economy, and the United States
allows these drug companies to take advantage and rob our own
people. That can't continue,ì Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,
9/24.
Now Frists claims, "I
don't think we can address it adequately in the next 17 days."
That's despite the fact that members of both parties in Congress
support what is being called drug importation and it's extremely
popular with the public, which will decide whether to re-elect
members of Congress in November, according to the 9/18/04 Enquirer.
In fact, according to the New
York Times, Frist now says the Senate likely will not have time
to debate the legislation this year, and Frist spokesperson Amy
Call added, "Until he sees a way we can do this safely,
he won't put the American people in jeopardy" by allowing
drug importation, the Times reported on 9/24.
Dorgan claims that Frist made
a commitment in March to allow a vote this year, in exchange
for Dorgan agreeing not to block the confirmation of Mark McClellan
as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Dorgan said, "I think he ought to keep that commitment.î
I hate to say it but I guess
the naive Dorgan is going to have to find out the hard way that
a commitment by a Bush-Puppet Republican is meaningless.
Rost Speaks
Out - At His Own Peril
Over the past month, Peter
Rost has spoken out in favor of the various bills under consideration
by Congress and state governments, that would allow the importation
of cheaper drugs into the US from other countries.
Rost became the first drug
industry executives to speak out in support of reimporting drugs
from Canada. At all activities, Rost stressed that he was speaking
as a private citizen and not as a Pfizer representative. Nothing
could have been made this more clear.
On Sept 23, Rost attended a
Washington rally with about 10 lawmakers to support a bill to
legalize the sale and use of imported drugs from other countries
where drugs are between 30% to 70% cheaper than in the US. He
also attended a rally with Senator Tom Daschle (D-SD) the following
day, in attempt to convince Republican senators to allow a vote
on the drug reimportation bill.
Drug companies have consistently
opposed the move, arguing that US regulators could not guarantee
the safety or quality of drugs brought in from other countries.
But Rost counters that argument with the fact that European countries
have used importation safely for 20 years, and he says drugmakers
will "say anything" to prevent cheaper drugs from entering
the US market.
Rost warns that, "The
industry is making a big political mistake right now to fight
reimportation,î he added, "The biggest safety issue
is people not taking the drugs they need,î at the news
conference with Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Reps. Dan Burton
(R-Ind), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn) and Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill) (Wall
Street Journal, 9/22).
ìA lot of people cannot
afford life-saving drugs. Drug re-importation provides an alternative
supply at lower prices for people who cannot afford the full
price,î Rost said. He said Europe has been trading pharmaceuticals
for decades with no negative consequences. ìThe European
union mandates free trade and movement of goods. Companies specialize
in doing nothing but buying drugs cheaply and importing then
to northern countries,î Rost said.
Rost says, ìDrugs donít
work if you donít take them. If you canít afford
them, you canít use them,î he said. ìDrugs
are supposed to improve life and make us healthy. In the US,
we have shorter life expectancy and higher infant mortality rates
than host of other developed countries ñ Canada, the United
Kingdom, Germany, Holland, Belgium, etc. ... I hope speaking
out will not only help patients but also wake up the drug companies.î
Sen Snowe (R-Maine) added,
"If European countries can safety trade prescription drugs,
the United States should be up to the task as well," New
York Times, 9/24.
According to Rost, "Holding
up a vote on importation ... has a high cost not just in money,
but in American lives. Every day we delay, Americans die because
they cannot afford life-saving drugs." NYT / Sept 24th,
2004
Dr. Alan Sager, a researcher
at the Boston University, says the same thing. "It is an
abomination that any American continues to suffer pain, disease
and premature death for lack of needed medications," he
said.
Do Bush or his industry cronies
or his Republican allies in Congress care that people are going
without their life-saving drugs? Not for a minute.
No Free
Speech For Pfizer Employees
So much for free speech if
you work for a drug company. Pfizer has recently launched an
investigation of Rostís political activities. Rost has
informed Independent Media that Pfizer has started an investigation
and the law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP in New
York will conduct the inquiry.
Rost told Independent, ìThe
Pfizer inquiry came as a surprise to me, since I have always
stated that I speak as a private citizen and do not in any way
represent Pfizer in my public appearances and also do not comment
on Pfizer. I am simply exercising my constitutional right to
campaign for a candidate, a bill or an issue on the political
agenda.î
Depth of
Probe
Rostís attorney, David
Green of Morristown, NJ, said Rost was first questioned about
his contacts with reporters on Sept. 21. Rost said the Pfizer
lawyer asked him to list all of his contacts with the media and
noted Rostís quotes in news articles.
In response to Independentís
questions about his Pfizer interview, Rost says, ì(I)
spent a long and very intense day ... answering detailed questions
about all my contacts with the press and my private discussions
with Senators and Congressmen. The questioning was so intense
that we didnít even break for lunch until 2:30 p.m.î
ìI have been interrogated
about every detail of my contacts with the press; who I have
talked to, who Iíve met with, who else was there, what
was said, if the talk was recorded, who called whom, and a line
by line review of many articles and quotes,î Rost said.
Rost also told the Washington
Post, "I was peppered with questions from morning to evening,"
said Rost. "As a private citizen in a protected political
activity, my concern was getting all these questions about my
discussions with elected representatives," on 10/1/04.
Rost was questioned about conversations
with lawmakers and their staffs. "They were very specific
about wanting to know everything I remembered from these conversations,"
Rost said. "They wanted to know who was there, who said
what," the WP reported.
He told Independent Media,
ìPfizer has also mapped all my contacts with Senators,
Congressmen and their aids. I have been asked whom I met, at
what time and where, who else was present, and Iíve been
asked about every detail of my private conversation with Senators
and Congressmen,î Rost said.
Apparently Pfizer also plans
to monitor Rostís future political activities. He told
Independent, ìIíve also had to answer questions
about all my planned future political activity, which Senators,
Congressmen and Governors have contacted me, where I will appear
to speak, and who is paying for travel,î he said.
Rost said he only responded
to the questions because he believed his refusal might have been
used as grounds to fire him.
Pfizer spokesman, Jack Cox,
wouldn't discuss the nature of Rost's daylong interview, but
said, "the meeting was professional and entirely consistent
with Pfizer's policies regarding respect for employees,"
according to a 9/30/04 article in Knight Ridder.
The top dogs at Pfizer have
shown themselves to be true Republicans. True to form, when they
can't defeat the message, attack the messenger. This in depth
questioning, is not the first indication that Pfizer was not
too happy about Rostís activities.
On 9/28/04, Chuck Hardwick,
a Pfizer senior vice president, sent a letter to Dorgan and other
members of Congress attacking Rostís credentials and stating,
"Dr. Rost has no qualifications to speak on importation,
no responsibilities in this area at Pfizer, no knowledge of the
information and analysis Pfizer has provided to the government
on this issue, and no substantive grasp of how importation may
impact the safety of this nation's drug supply," said the
letter.
Of course it might be a bit
embarrassing to have Rost support importing drugs, when Pfizer
happens to be the highest-profile company cracking down wholesalers
in Canada. It lead the industry effort against drug importation.
In fact, CEO McKinnell threatened to blacklist Canadian pharmacies
that sell drugs to Americans.
Right To
Free Speech OK If Pfizer Says So
From day one, Rost made it
clear to Independent that he did not in any way represent Pfizer.
He does not believe he can be fired for making statements on
his own time, because such activities are protected in New York,
where Pfizer is located, and in New Jersey, where Rost resides,
by laws that prohibit employment discrimination based on political
beliefs.
Rost contends that he is within
his rights to speak out irregardless of where he works. ìIt
is important to remember that Pfizer employment matters are governed
by New York State Law and New Jersey State Law, among others.
According to the Office of New York State Attorney General, ìAn
employee who is discharged because of his participation, on his
own time, in lawful political or recreational activities can
bring an action against his employer for damages and equitable
relief,î quoting relevant laws.
Besides all that, if Rost was
backing a candidate that Pfizer was supporting it would be permissible.
Rost says Pfizer regularly distributes political literature to
its employees, ìI also note that Dr. Hank McKinnell and
his direct reports frequently use their positions within Pfizer
to compel Pfizer employees to support political causes they believe
inî Rost said. ìI regularly receive direct mails
and e-mails from Dr. McKinnell suggesting that I make political
financial contributions or that I contact my elected representatives
on a particular issue. I also find posters at work encouraging
political activity,î he added.
"When you do that as an
employer, you also have to accept it if people are politically
active about issues that you may not agree on. You can't say
it's OK to just support certain things and not others,"
Rost said.
Lawmakers
And Media Come Out To Support Rost
Rep. Ann Northrup (R-Ky.) said
that Hardwick's letter concerning Rost was "insulting,"
adding that it "regurgitated the same sorts of claims they
have made in the past, claims that have been refuted."
In response to the inappropriate
tactics being used by Pfizer against Rost, members of Congress
wrote a letter to Pfizer, on his behalf, condemning its intimidation
of Rost. "If this is true, [Wednesday's] interrogation,
during which attorneys demanded details of private conversations
with Members of Congress and their staffs, was clearly intended
to intimidate Dr. Rost," the letter said.
Rep Sanders, a Vermont independent,
is also upset. "I find it an outrage that Pfizer would suggest
that because somebody happens to work for Pfizer, that they're
not allowed to exercise their constitutional rights to support
a particular piece of legislation. ... My guess is those employees
of Pfizer who are touting the company line in opposition of drug
importation are not being brought before lawyers and cross-examined
for hours," he said.
The Associated Press lists
the 7 lawmakers who signed the letter as: Bernard Sanders, I-Vt;
Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill; Dan Burton, R-Ind; Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio;
Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn.; Jim Langevin, D-RI; and Marion Berry,
D-Ark.
It goes without saying that
Independent Media plans to monitor this situation every single
day. And at the same time, it goes without saying that Independent
Media will be monitored.
Having said that, I'd advise
Pfizer to pick its battles more carefully. Does it really want
to go up against the press, politicians, Americans and especially
senior citizens? It might want to rethink their strategy when
attacking Peter Rost.
As Usual
With Bush - Its About Money
Lawmakers also went to bat
for Rost in Congress. "The issue of safety is a hoax, and
when somebody tells you it is not about money, folks, it is about
money," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel. The Illinois Democrat pointed
out on the House floor that Rost disputed his industry's position
that importation can't be done safely.
Rost says that at times, he
felt pressured to donate money to specific candidates. "The
push from Pfizer to donate part of my Pfizer salary to political
causes is very strong. After I failed to pay $2,000 for a political
fundraiser sponsored by Pfizer in 2003 I was contacted by Mr.
Hank McKinnell, through a secretary who said she called on his
behalf, reminding me to attend,î he said.
ìI would hope that a
company that so closely tracks political activity and donations
among its employees and supports employee political activism
also will tolerate dissenting individual initiatives that allow
our democracy to flourish,î Rost said.
Rostís assertions about
Pfizer financially supporting politicians were easy enough to
verify. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonprofit
group that monitors political contributions, Pfizer and its PACs
are the largest contributors among drug companies, forking out
$1.15 million in the 2004 cycle, with two-thirds of that amount
going to Republicans. And lets take a look at Pfizer CEO Hank
McKinnell. He is a Bush Ranger, which means he has raised more
than $200,000 for Bush's reelection. Until last year, he served
as chairman of the board for Pharma. Pfizer is one of the most
profitable companies in the country and it spent $3.7 million
on Washington lobbying in 2003.
As of July, 2004, according
to the Center for Responsive Politics, Bush has already received
$ $844,349 from the Pharmaceutical Industry. This figure already
dwarfs his 2000 total of $499,283. [Source: Center for Responsive
Politics, July 2004].
I just had an amusing thought.
When Bush gets booted out of the White House, whoís going
to funnel pay-off money to the industry? Or are they about even
now?
Industry
Pay-Offs
During a recent debate on the
issue, Congressman Burton said this is a perfect example, in
my opinion, of where a special interest, the pharmaceutical industry,
has been able to manipulate the Congress and the government of
the United States to their benefit, and to the detriment of the
American taxpayer and the American people.
Burton says the new law makes
it clear the industry got its money's worth. He says billions
of dollars are in it for drug companies in this new Medicare
Prescription Drug Benefit.
A 1/15/04 report by Campaign
Money Watch, asked "How blatant is the pay-to-play system
between the pharmaceutical industry and those in powerful political
positions in Washington? Consider this sentence from a letter
from then RNC Chairman Jim Nicholson to then Bristol-Meyers CEO
Charles Heimbold:
ìWe must keep the lines
of communication open if we want to continue passing legislation
that will benefit your industry.î"
The company and its employees
have given over $4 million to federal candidates and party committees
since 1999, over 80% to Republicans. Heinbold is no longer CEO
of Bristol because he was appointed by Bush to be US Ambassador
to Sweden, the reports adds.
The big shots of the industry
were also out in full force during the Republican Convention.
Among the drug company financed functions were 2 breakfasts,
sponsored by Pfizer, for Oregon delegates, a state that has recently
sought permission from the federal government to import cheaper
drugs from Canada.
What Does
Bush Say About Importation?
Just listen to what Bush had
to say in return for all that money, to make sure the bills wouldn't
be passed. "Before I'll allow that to happen, I'm going
to make sure that you're safe," Bush said. "Because
all you need to do is get a batch of drugs manufactured elsewhere
that sounds like they're legitimate and get sick, and then you're
going to be wondering, where were the people, why weren't they
doing their jobs of protecting consumer safety?" And he
said this with a straight smirk.
And it gets better. At a health
care forum in Blaine, Minn, Bush said, "Let me talk real
quick about a subject I know is on your mind," claiming
his administration is studying the issue. "I know it sounds
attractive to some, importation of drugs. And it may work. But,
sure enough, if we're not careful, drugs manufactured in the
Third World over which we have no control could use Canada as
a way to get into this state. And then we got a problem, a safety
problem," the New York Times reported on 9/16/04.
Is there any issue on which
Bush won't try to use the terrorist fear tactics? Never mind
that he allows the importation of everything else. "The
president would import sneakers from Taiwan, T shirts from Hong
Kong and coffee from Colombia," said Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.).
"But drugs from Canada, no way! Again, the drug companies
win and the seniors lose." Newsday on 9/18/04.
Ya know, somebody ought to
tell Bush that while out on the campaign trail, he should really
knock of the phony caring act; his words donít match his
arrogant personality or his cowboy swagger.
Bush And
Drugmakers Cut Off Supplies In One Way Or Another
Several of the world's biggest
drug makers are restricting supply to online Canadian pharmacies
that ship to the US, leading to delays of several weeks for many
customers. In severe cases, some sites have stopped accepting
new clients looking for the hardest-to-get medications, according
to the 9/15/04 South Bend Tribune.
Rost is upset that companies
are cutting off supplies. "It strikes me as immoral to limit
trade to Canada under the guise that it is unsafe," he said
in a telephone interview. "The big safety issue is people
not taking drugs -- people having heart attacks because they
can't afford to stay on cholesterol-lowering medication,"
he told the Boston Globe on 9/23/04.
But thatës not all they
are up to. For his part of the bargain, Bush is striking out
with the power of the government. "Hundreds of people in
Minnesota, Wisconsin and Vermont had their Canadian prescription-drug
orders seized and thousands more had their shipments delayed
after about 450 packages arriving in Miami from the Bahamas were
seized by U.S. Customs in July," USA Today reported on 9/16/04.
"The seizure was the first
large-scale effort by U.S. Customs and the Food and Drug Administration
to halt prescription shipments from Canadian pharmacies, although
individual packages have been halted in the past." USA says.
"We have hundreds of seniors
calling our office, saying, 'Where are my prescription drugs?'
" says Chris Lisi, spokeswoman for Sen Mark Dayton, D-Minn,
who strongly supports allowing importation of lower-cost drugs
from Canada. Dayton and Democrat Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle protested
the FDA seizure.
Dayton issued a statement and
responded to comments from seniors whose drugs were seized, saying,
''Rather than scaring Minnesota seniors and taking their affordable
prescription drugs, FDA should focus its resources on working
with Congress to create legislation that would facilitate safe
and legal drug importation. We should be confiscating only those
packages that come from unknown or questionable sources or contain
suspicious substances, not medicines sent to America's seniors
from reputable Canadian pharmacies" (Miami Herald, 9/15).
According to an article on
9/15/04 by Associated Press, ìDemocratic Sens. Herb Kohl
and Russ Feingold said in a letter to the agency they have received
dozens of complaints from Wisconsin residents that the FDA had
intercepted their orders of prescription drugs.î The senators
said they were "concerned that the FDA's actions could pose
health risks to American consumers" and asked if the FDA
plans "to use any other enforcement mechanisms to try to
curtail the purchase of prescription drugs from Canada."
Wisconsin Gov Jim Doyle said
the seizure shows that the Bush administration has "decided
it will do whatever it can to protect drug company profits."
And if you think this is bad,
just wait and see whatís in store for Americans if Bush
is elected to 4 more years when he wonít be facing reelection
and can drop the phony caring act.
Canada Is
Very Insulted
Rost has said that some of
Bushís argument about the safety of drugs are greatly
exaggerated like the one above. When the FDA Acting Chief Lester
Crawford made the outlandish suggestion that terrorists could
use imported drugs from Canada to poison Americans, he found
it ridiculous.
Rost said, "Drugs from
Canada are absolutely, positively safe," he said in a 9/18/04
phone interview with the Winnipeg Free Press. "What has
been said (by Internet opponents) about Canadian drugs is, quite
frankly, insulting, I would think, if I were a Canadian. Let's
get real. It's exactly the same product that the same (pharmaceutical)
companies are selling in Canada that they are selling in the
U.S."
And indeed Canadians are insulted.
At a convention of the Iowa Association of Health Underwriters,
Canada's former prime minister defended the safety of his country's
prescription-drug system during an appearance in Des Moines,
according to the Des Moines Register on 9/16/04.
Jean Chretien, who retired
last year, dismissed claims that Canada's drug-inspection system
is less effective than the United States'. "Do you think
we're crazy in Canada - that we would let people sell unsafe
drugs?" he said. "Do you think that as prime minister
I would face the Canadian people and say, 'Too bad, you know,
but we don't inspect drugs?' . . . I hope you agree with me that
we're not that uncivilized," the Register reports.
Of course I agree that Canadians
are not crazy or uncivilized. If only the same could be said
about the current occupant of our White House.
Bogus Research
and Development Excuse
Pfizer questions Rost ability
to understand the research and development issue. The industry
says importing drugs would hurt profits that are relied upon
to pay for research. Pfizer says Rost has ignored his company's
extensive research.
I found that funny because
I thought Rost sounded fairly knowledgeable on the topic. He
seemed to grasp the amount of money involved in research. According
to the 9/28/04 Missourian, at news conference, Rost said that
of drug giant Merckís $22.5 billion in annual sales, it
spent $3.2 billion on research and development and $3.3 billion
on stock dividends and reported a profit of $6.8 billion. Although
Merck would lose money if the legislation passed, he said, drug
companies would still be profitable enough to encourage investment
in research.
So Rost doesnít know
what heís talking about on the subject of importation?
Well he sure had me fooled.
Lawmakers
Become Willing To Break The Law
Legislatures all over the country
are responding to demands from their constituents, with 24 states
considering bills to import drugs from Canada or elsewhere. West
Virginia, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Vermont and
Rhode Island have already enacted laws that take the first steps
toward engaging in broad imports of prescription medicines from
Canada, although the federal government is challenging the legality
of some of the programs, according to the LA Times on 9/30/94.
Many state and local governments
are vowing to disregard federal laws. According to the 10/1/04
Bangor Daily News, Maine will challenge the federal DHHS by initiating
a program to re-import drugs from Canada, Gov John Baldacci announced:
ìThe state can't wait ... for the federal government to
enact reforms that ensure affordable access to medications for
all Americans and will instead take action on behalf of Maine
citizens.î
Indiana Gov Joe Kernan says
his state will help hundreds of thousands of public employees
save money on prescription drugs next year one way or another,
according to the 9/16/04 Washington Times.
Kernan plans to bring healthcare
providers, business leaders and government officials together
in early December to find ways to lower prescription drugs costs
for state employees and eventually all Hoosiers, the Indianapolis
Star Tribune said. If no state or federal solution is found by
March 1, 2005, Kernan said he would support ways to help Hoosiers
reimport drugs from Canada and other countries.
According to the 8/16/04 Boston
Herald, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and city officials "shrugged
off" a warning in a letter sent by FDA Associate Commissioner
William Hubbard about the safety risks of a program that allows
some city employees and retirees to reimport lower-cost prescription
drugs from Canada.
In the letter, Hubbard asked
Menino to end the "Meds by Mail" program, which began
in August. About 14,000 city employees, retirees and their dependents
covered under the city health plan qualify for the program. Boston
officials have distributed more than 840 applications for the
program.
Calgary-based Total Care Pharmacy
provides the medications, and Menino has said that the contract
between the city and the pharmacy requires safety measures and
ensures quality. Hubbard warned that the FDA in the future might
ask a judge to issue an injunction against the program but currently
seeks to convince Boston officials to end the program voluntarily
(Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 8/5).
Since March, Wisconsin has
filled 1,663 prescriptions under a state reimportation program.
Susan Reinardy, a Wisconsin Department of Public Health and Family
Services administrator, said that although in the early stages
of the program Total Care shipped three generic medications not
approved by FDA, the problem has not continued. "We're very
happy with their responsiveness," she added (Boston Herald,
8/6).
Minnesota, New Hampshire, North
Dakota, and Wisconsin all have websites that connect consumers
to Canada drug importation companies. Additionally, the governors
of Illinois, Iowa, Oregon, Vermont and West Virginia have come
out in favor of importation (Stateline.org, Sept 14, 2004, "Minnesota
gov. leads fight for legal Rx importsì).
Other Actions
Against The Bush Drug Gang
Bush and his cronies in the
industry are being hit from every angle. According to the 9/6/04
issue of American Medical News, Vermont has now sued the federal
government for the right to reimport prescription medications.
The lawsuit alleges that the
government wrongly denied Vermont's request to establish a reimportation
program. The FDA rejected the request claiming it was worried
about drug safety. The lawsuit is the first of its kind.
Gov James Douglas, says, "Vermont
will not sit back and watch as the cost of health insurance and
prescription drugs continues to rise. Nor are we content to simply
ignore the law," Douglas said. "Real leadership means
challenging those laws and policies you oppose and working within
our systems to change them," notes American Medical.
In the law suit, the Vermont
claims the FDA violated the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement
and Modernization Act of 2003. Officials say the law requires
the federal government to create rules that allow wholesalers,
pharmacists and state benefit programs to import drugs and calls
for the government to give guidance on the circumstances under
which the FDA would give waivers allowing importation for personal
use.
Vermont claims the Bush administration
has done neither and is asking the court to require the government
to establish rules and guidelines promptly. "It is our hope
and expectation that Vermont's leadership will result in a legal
precedent that benefits every Vermonter and every American,"
Douglas said, "The ultimate goal is to get the best possible
market prices at our pharmacies here at home.î
On another front, saying Kentucky
could save more than $100 million a year in health care costs,
state Auditor Crit Luallen called on the state to import cheaper
prescription drugs from Canada, according to the 9/29/04 Currier
Journal. If Gov Ernie Fletcher agrees, Kentucky would join other
states, including Illinois, Maryland, New Hampshire, Oregon,
and Vermont, in seeking federal waivers to allow the importation
of drugs from Canada. Almost two-thirds of Kentuckians want
the federal government to make it easier to buy prescription
drugs from Canada and other countries, according to a Courier-Journal
Bluegrass Poll conducted in May. Kentucky Rep Anne Northup, R-Louisville,
is also pushing federal legislation to allow prescription drug
sales from Canada.
The battleground has been set
between the States and the White House. If Bush and Pharma want
to continue the war of blocking ways for Americans to obtain
affordable prescription drugs, they had better be ready to do
a lot more than harass employees who refuse to turn a blind eye
to their corruption.
Rost Vows
To Stay The Course
Peter Rost vows to continue
his support of importation efforts no matter what Pfizer does
or doesnít do. In closing, he shared some personal thoughts
that would never in a million years lead anyone to think that
he is employed in the pharmaceutical industry:
--I donít believe we
are put on this earth to make as much money as we can. --I donít
think weíre here to rip off the weakest and poorest. --We
are here to help each other and make it a better world.
Evelyn Pringle lives in Miamisburg, Ohio and can
be reached at: e.pringle@sbcglobal.net
Weekend
Edition Features for September 18 / 19, 2004
Alexander Cockburn
Forgeries,
Fingerprints and Forensic Fakery
Jeffrey St. Clair
High Plains Grifter: Bush's Mask of Anarchy
Patrick Cockburn
Into the Abyss: the Week Iraq's Dream of Peace Fell Apart
Fred Gardner
Pot Shots: Financial Torture (Asset Forfeiture)
Joe Allen
The Comrades Kerry Abandoned: the Real Story of Vietnam Vets
Against the War
George Corsetti
Poletown Revisited: Finally, Some Vindication
Scott Handleman
The Knock-Knock of a Sledgehammer: Sequestered in Nablus
Richard Ward
Two Weeks in Beit Arabiya
Conn Hallinan
Ashcroft and Indonesia
Lori Smith
Health Care in America: And Then I Got Sick...
Dave Zirin
Hold the Booyah!: SportsCenter Out of the Middle East
John L. Hess
Rather Will Take the Heat, As Bush's War Deteriorates
Brian J. Foley
W is for Wimp: So Why do Manly Men Love Him?
Mickey Z.
Pat Tillman and Osama bin Laden: Odd Juxtapositions
Poets' Basement
Vest, Landau & Albert
Website of the Weekend
Eye on the NYTs
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