Phoebe Loosinhouse's Journal - J'accuse! Pharma is trying to kill off the generic drug industry & getting lots of help

Phoebe Loosinhouse's Journal - J'accuse! Pharma is trying to kill off the generic drug industry & getting lots of help

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE5BN3...
Generics chafe under big pharma's reform shadow
Susan Heavey
Sun Dec 27, 2009 4:04pm Wed, Dec 23 2009
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -
The massive Senate healthcare reform measure passed on Thursday with support from the multibillion drug industry, but makers of cheaper generic rivals are feeling left out in the cold.

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"The bill passed by the Senate unfortunately amounts to a treasure trove to brand drug companies," said Generic Pharmaceutical Association President Kathleen Jaeger, whose group represents Mylan, Watson Pharmaceuticals and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, among other companies.

President Barack Obama has often pointed to generics as a key way to cut costs, but big pharmaceutical makers such as Pfizer and Merck came to lawmakers and the White House with an $80 billion, 10-year pact to cut prices and pay additional taxes to help fund the expansion of health insurance coverage.

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Most notable is the setback for generic versions of biotech drugs, also known as biogenerics or follow-on biologics.

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http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hilt...

Biotech bonanza lurks in healthcare reform bills

A proposal by Rep. Anna Eshoo would give developers of innovative biomedical drugs 12 years of statutory protection from generic competition, significantly extending their patent rights.

By Michael Hiltzik
December 17, 2009
The debate over healthcare reform is focused on such a small number of hot issues -- should there be a public option, Medicare buy-in, government-paid mental health counseling for Sen. Lieberman? -- that dozens of other questions are cruising under the radar.

Here's one worth a lot more attention than it has been getting: Is Congress poised to make a big payoff to biotech firms and their venture backers by hindering the entry of a new class of generic drugs into the marketplace?

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http://maplight.org/dems_senate_pharma_pre...

Dems Voting No on Prescription Drug Imports Receive More Pharma Money

December 16, 2009

Yesterday, the Senate voted against the importation of prescription drugs, 51-48. Offered by Sen Byron Dorgan (D-ND) as an amendment to the health care reform bill, the provision would pave the way for market access to cheaper prescription drugs, by relaxing restrictions on imports from Canada and other highly-developed countries. In a bipartisan effort rarely seen in recent votes on health care reform, 30 Democrats sided with 17 Republicans and one Independent to kill the bill.

MAPLight.org found that Senate Democrats who voted to block imports, siding with drug companies, received an average of $73,678 each from drug companies over the past six years—76% more than Democrats who voted in favor of imports.

Among all Senators, those voting to block imports received an average of $85,779 each from drug companies, 69% more than those who voted in favor of imports.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...
The not-so-sweet side of closing 'doughnut hole'
By Amy Goldstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, December 28, 2009

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Under the health-care bill the House passed in November, people who reach the doughnut hole would be $500 better off next year than they would otherwise. But the impact over the next few years would be subtler than it appears at first for two reasons: The gap -- without any change -- is scheduled to expand each year, and the bill would fill it gradually. As a result, patients would face a larger coverage hole in 2011 and 2012 than this year, according to Ways and Means Committee data. After that, it would shrink more rapidly and disappear in 2019.

The just-passed Senate measure would narrow the gap halfway. Even before the bill was approved, Reid and the chairman of the two Senate committees that handle health-care issues said they would, as part of negotiations to resolve differences between the two bills, accept the House's goal of closing the hole completely. ...