Washington DC council member David Catania actually suggested that the council should consider claiming eminent domain of certain widely prescribed pharmaceutical formulas in order to help reign in rising drug costs for the city. Catania suggests that the patents should be acquired by the government through the mayor's declaration of a public health emergency and then generic manufacturers would be contacted to produce the drugs for cheaper than they are commercially available.
There are so many things wrong with this proposal that it is hard to decide where to begin. First off, convincing anyone that there is a public health emergency due to the cost of medicines is absolutely ridiculous. The cost of health care does need to be addressed in order for our economy to thrive, but when one breaks down the actual costs of health care one finds that medications account for only 10 percent of the overall health care spending. What would be next, claiming eminent domain over hospitals so the government can set the prices that they are allowed to charge?
Also, what Catania fails to realize is that even under eminent domain claims the government is still required to pay the fair market value to the person/entity that they are seizing the property from, so not only would they need to pay for the intellectual rights to the drugs, the government would then need to pay a generic company to produce and get approval from the FDA to sell the drug which would basically wipe out any savings Catania would hope to realize.
The eminent domain seizure of the patents of drugs would all but guarantee that pharmaceutical companies in this country would have no incentive to develop new drugs, so one hopes that all the drugs required to treat any future aliments have already been discovered. Getting these drugs cheaply now, comes at the very expensive cost of losing any future developments from pharmaceutical companies.
Daniel Spankie is the creator/editor of http://www.chemtracker.net, a Pharmaceutical news forum for professionals.
Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareBill Cosby got it wrong. His many speeches regarding the... Read More
The newest pebble reactors are easy to build and manage... Read More
An article in Information Week in January 14, 2002 discussed... Read More
On June 16, 1972, a security guard at the Watergate... Read More
In these times when states are suffering extreme downward pressure... Read More
Many MLM sales people mean well but they inadvertently commit... Read More
When organising a country or a group of people in... Read More
The UAV, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is hear to stay and... Read More
I hear it all the time; you can't say that.... Read More
"The only time I open my mouth is when I... Read More
Clint Eastwood recently plunged into the murky political pond with... Read More
Legislation is getting legs to further curtail your use of... Read More
There is nothing-absolutely nothing-insofar as political power when it is... Read More
The shouting is over and directions for the next four... Read More
I watch the TV news and I get angry. I... Read More
To be justified, taxes should satisfy a few conditions:Above all,... Read More
Mexican has tariffs on goods, which come into its country... Read More
Heaven, Hell, or some sort of Purgatory.I cannot seem to... Read More
Industrial Recruiting. The absence of a state income tax in... Read More
The Bill of Rights to our Constitution caused -- and... Read More
Many folks who are pro-NASA and Pro-Space Colonies say that... Read More
Having redundancies and today's technologies in transportation we have protected... Read More
Here are some miscellaneous thoughts on issues many of which... Read More
"When you are right you cannot be too radical; when... Read More
Down The Bush and BlairBy now everyone, except us, is... Read More
Antigo wedding limo ..It cities across America water is an issue, the flow... Read More
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) estimated that there were... Read More
Ohio's transportation sector seems to be strong, even with Ohio's... Read More
In the most rewarding new industries, there is often a... Read More
In the future when we decide to help nations vote... Read More
Many very nice and loving homosexual male couples want to... Read More
I would like to pose a question. I am unsure... Read More
As the Baby Boomer Generation continue to get older, one... Read More
As global warming continues to escalate the concerns of today's... Read More
Yes, Bush is two-faced. The two sides of the faces... Read More
We have known of the innate characteristic need of members... Read More
There is nothing-absolutely nothing-insofar as political power when it is... Read More
Rush is right! The government's stepped up bid to regulate... Read More
Legislation is getting legs to further curtail your use of... Read More
Wealth Distribution is often discussed at length in periodicals such... Read More
Here are some miscellaneous thoughts on issues many of which... Read More
Recently in Maine, I talked with a gentleman and we... Read More
Water Conservation in larger cities is less of an issue... Read More
As you know Delta Airlines is close to bankruptcy. Their... Read More
Indian and Pakistan and nuclear war. What does the world... Read More
WE MUST PUT A STOP TO THE EVER-INCREASING PRICE OF... Read More
Heaven, Hell, or some sort of Purgatory.I cannot seem to... Read More
Long Term Environmental Effect of Plastics, Composites and Other Materials... Read More
I hear it all the time; you can't say that.... Read More
Capitalism as the social structure was founded in order to... Read More
Political |