Will Washington Prevent a Cure for Cancer?
The United States can rightly claim the title of medicine chest to the world. Almost two-thirds of research on new medicines approved in the last 10 years was performed in this country. Today, the U.S. accounts for 82% of the biotechnology research and development in the world and has over 2,900 medicines in the pipeline. U.S. biopharmaceutical exports rose to $46 billion in 2009 from $29 billion in 2005. [Yet] there are two big public-policy threats on the horizon for Merck … the biopharmaceutical industry. One is the Independent Payment Advisory Board, or IPAB, which originated in last year’s health-reform law. This board has the power to reduce Medicare payments for innovative products simply because overall Medicare costs exceed certain budget targets in any one year. The other harmful proposal on Washington’s agenda would impose price controls for the first time on the Medicare Part D prescription-drug program.
See article on U.S. government regulations that halter medical progress.
Governments tend to be hostiel to medical innovations — whether drugs, devices etc. — because they see them as increasing their costs.
That is always the big problem… New medications cost a lot while old ones don’t. Do we skimp on therapies or do we fund the costly drugs we hope will be there when we need them?
Let’s put it this way. If it can prevent a cure, it probably will.
A proposal like drug price controls doesn’t just prevent cures after it’s passed. Companies have to decide today whether to make R&D investments that will produce new drugs a long way down the road, and they won’t take the risk if they think a proposal like this will pass in the mean time. So in a very real sense, even just talking about such an idea is killing people.
Is there ever a time when price controls work? Especially when dealing with innovation, I can’t think of a good reason to try to control prices on new products.
I hate to be churlish about this, but the author of the article, Mr. Frazier, is the CEO of Merck & Co., a major pharmaceutical company.
Which is great, except that the pharmaceutical industry helped push PPACA (Obamacare) over the finish line. Mr. Frazier’s predecessor, Richard Clark, said in a speech on 4/28/2009 that “We also have rolled up our sleeves to work with the Obama Administration and Congress to support the enactment of common-sense plans to expand healthcare coverage, improve quality and ensure that we all get good value for our healthcare dollars” (http://tinyurl.com/3dcwefw).
IPAB would not have existed without PPACA. If Merck and its peers had not pushed PPACA over the finish line, they would not be suffering from the imminent threat of IPAB.
Marijuana: The Forbidden Cure for Cancer
There are allot of folks out there being cured of cancer, even terminal cancer with marijuana. Skin Cancer, Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostrate Cancer, Brain Cancer, and others are being cured with a natural marijuana medicine. The website below links into research and video on the subject. There is even a film there on how to make the medicine and even dosages. You can avoid having your body poisoned with Chemotherapy and Radiation. The medicine from marijuana is natural. Check it out for yourself.
http://marijuanaplanet.us/The_Forbidden_Cure_For_Cancer.htm