Commentaries
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October 26, 2009
As Congress considers how to reform America's health sector, and with it, make major changes impacting the pharmaceutical industry, it is worth recalling that drugs don't merely make individuals healthier - they can improve society as a whole in subtle and unexpected ways. A new report written by Dave Marcotte of the University of Maryland and Sara Markowitz of Emory University, examined evidence dating from 1997 through 2004. They found a clear pattern: As prescriptions for psychiatric drugs increased, the incidence of violent crime decreased. In particular, they found that sales of the newest, most cutting-edge drugs meant to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder correlated most strongly with drops in violent offenses.
July 30, 2009
The Washington Post is aligning itself with anti-innovation liberals in arguing that Congress should shorten the time frame in which companies that develop new biologic drugs can recoup their investments. The Obama administration has favored a seven-year period in which the companies would have “market exclusivity,” and the Post editorializes that “any additional protection would be not only unnecessary but harmful.”
June 2, 2009
The swine flu outbreak was a vivid reminder of how far we've come in dealing with the threat of viral pandemics. Health authorities around the globe responded in record time, limiting the spread of the virus and the loss of life, at least so far. Most of the patients who died had other health complications that were exacerbated when they contracted swine flu. For most everyone else, the availability of antiviral drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza have proven immensely effective in treating the illness, calming fears about the spread of the virus.
December 7, 2008
Jurors aren't physicians. They're regular people. So why would we entrust them with medical decisions best made by clinicians or scientists? It sounds preposterous, but jurors could be given the responsibility for deciding how doctors should practice. That's the scenario one woman is pushing before the Supreme Court. Instead of experts at the Food and Drug Administration having the final say on drug safety, people whose medical training consists of watching ER reruns could wield the power to pull the plug on a drug critical to your health.
October 28, 2008
Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama both declared recently that they'd rethink their support for foreign drug importation, largely because of repeated scares about contaminated drug supplies. That's an encouraging development. The U.S. currently bans bulk drug imports, but if that ban were lifted, millions of unsuspecting patients could find themselves with dangerous counterfeit drugs in their medicine cabinets.
October 1, 2008
American free-marketers often criticize Europe for its misguided regulation of the drug industry, rightly attributing the continent’s paucity of pharmaceutical innovation to its penchant for price controls. But when it comes to promoting innovation and investment in today’s most revolutionary medicines, biologic drugs, the Europeans have created a regulatory policy that provides the proper incentives.
April 29, 2008
As the presidential primary campaigns grind on, Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama always find something to exchange blows over. And even though he's enjoying the Democrats' intra-party fight, Sen. John McCain manages to disagree with both of them almost daily. But on drug importation, all the candidates agree. Democratic presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and presumptive Republican nominee John McCain have promised that if elected they would allow the importation of prescription drugs from an array of foreign countries that use price controls to keep costs down.
April 17, 2008
Small business entrepreneurs beware. The U.S. Senate is preparing to debate patent reform legislation that’s designed to aid tech titans but which could trample independent inventors in the process.
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