This is a GOOD thing, the extorted money will trickle down to us peons. Right?

Makes you proud be to an American. There's no other place on earth where medicine is a profitable industry. These clowns would sell their grandmothers for a buck.

Exactly! This my friends, is case in point for why we should deregulate ALL big corporations. They don't need anyone policing them! (sarcasm dripping)

You obviously don't understand the issue here. We're talking about Money! Pure, overhead-free Profit! Green Money! Yachts and cigars!! Is there anything more important than Money? I mean, who cares if a few old geezers or little kids croak because drugs are criminally overpriced, right? These geezer-squeezers and baby smashers want their Money! Lives are cheap, I mean, aren't the poor always popping out new consum. . . I mean, new babies all the time? God knows, we have to protect the rich, and especially the profiteers, er, ah, I mean, the marketplace entrepreneurs or there'd be no jobs! Get your head on straight. Consider this from a pure marketing perspective. Heck, kids don't vote anyway. I say: hoard the drugs! Market price or bust. Graves are cheap to dig anyhow, and guess what? That's job creation!

jeff - hey, jeff - over here. Stay on the subject. This ain't about Obama.

No, this NOT capitalism. This is what a monopoly looks like when applied to a price inelastic market . In a free, unfettered marketplace, competition would keep supply and demand in balance, and prices reasonable.

It's not quite like that. The industry doesn't want these guys to die. They want them to keep lingering. More money that way. That's why the most promising research doesn't get funded. If you got your cancer fixed over the weekend, how could someone tons of money off you? Banning stem cell research was a boon to the industry, among other things.

The funny thing is, this is exactly what capitalism is not. In a true capitalist system, someone would step in with a cheaper product. The problem is that capitalism doesn't work unless government steps in and enforces rules and regulations and prevents monopolies. You can be pretty sure that when someone is talking about "small government", they are talking about destroying the ability of the government to enforce rules that create real competition.

These people don't want competition. They don't want real capitalism. They want government to serve them. All the rest is just smoke and mirrors.

Is this the republicans version of death panels?

You cant afford your meds, so sad...goodbye.

Robin steele - what in the world are you talking about... do you know anything, ANYTHING????? I almost feel ba dyour so misguided and have so much to learn

Why do a lot of you immediately want to blame Obama or the republicans?? This isnt about Obama or the republicans or the Tea party that so many of you give way too much credit to. This article is about greed and what people can get away with. Sounds like the oil companies, doesnt it? After 9/11 many gas stations jumped their prices to $5 a gallon in anticipation of a shortage. They were rooted out and taken to court. Why the hell dont we root out these profiteers for the same reasons? To cheat the public in a recession this bad due to a shortage in meds is criminal.

Wonderful world of capitalism ahhh! Always trying to lend a helping hand for the average folk.

I think the Government should further cut their taxes because they are not able to suck more blood and sweat from the average worker bee.

Besides everyone knows that big Government would create rules and regulations that might help increase the costs medicines and create Death Panels (tea bagers).

Whats more real then these true "Death Panels" of Capitalism. Crazy republicans and the tea bagers are completely nuts and of course they will vote against there own best interest.

Republicans and tea bagers live in lala land!!!!

Pay me lots of money or die. Is this a great country or what?

I see that OLD GOP has his copy paste button going again.

More LAWS & CUTS for WE the PEOPLE !

More TAX CUTS & BREAKS & PROFITS == CORPORATIONS.

The GOP / ME -PARTY Tell Everybody it is YOU the PEOPLE .?

You Done BEING the BACK SIDE of The GOP ELEPHANT YET ...................?

Thanks cdahl,,FACTS are HARD for FOX BOTS ...!

It has gotten out of hand when you can not get certain drugs because the manufacturer stopped making them. There have been a number of medications, namely pain medications where the manufacturers have stopped producing them due to government regulations. They try and force the manufacturers to change the drugs to make them harder for addicts to abuse. Instead, the companies stop making the drugs all together. Add to that the people price gouging on medications that are in short supply due to raw material problems, and it has become a major problem. Price gouging on medication should be made illegal the same way certain types of price gouging following a natural disaster have been made illegal.

Smelly ,, CORPORATE GOVERNMENT ! For CORPORATIONS!

That's The ONLY Small GOP Government in 60 YEARS I'VE EVER SEEN !

I'm under the impression these are criminals that stole said products, or hospitals holding some bag then selling them on the black market. ind of like how the government puts food in demand by telling them to destroy crops, rather than use the excess amount of food to feed the hungry. Basically, they're creating the rarity and demand, then demanding insane prices to save your life.

If this is true, these thieves should be locked up for extortion. Then again, you can't blame America ENTIRELY for this, this sort of thing happens in various ways all over the globe. It's the entire system at fault. If you want justice, find the people that are doing this, turn them in. Find who's hoarding the drugs. Someone needs to stop these profiteering sociopaths. They have something precious, that everyone needs, and now delusions of grandeur are sweeping up inside them. They are scumbags that profit from other's agony.

"Twenty, twenty, twenty four hours to go.... I wanna be sedated".

OLD GOP,

Facts? Where?

Mike-1304143

It's refreshing to read a post where someone actually KNOWS what the heck they are talking about instead of slinging insults. Now, if we could only get the rest of the Newsvine followers to comprehend and see the truth in your post, we'd be making progress.

Steve-2570999

So this is what will be if the Tea party gets in? You need to get a life and stop following blindly behind the ones already in power. Just how long has the Tea party been in power Steve? Price gouging in medicine has been going on for a long time, just like gasoline, jewelry, food, ect.. I don't remember a Tea Party being on any ballot I have voted on in the last 40 years. I am not a follower of the Tea party, the republican party or the democratic party ( I think that one qualifies as an oxymoron). I have to take 5 differant pills every morning and two at night. Nexium which seems to be the only pill that works after having to try every other pill before I could go on Nexium, costs me $178 for thirty pills and I take it once a day. The more important the medicine, the higher the cost. I shudder to think what chemo drugs would cost. Many say go to Canada for generic. Over the last 15 years I have developed allergies to several medicines and the only thing they can figure out, is that it is something they are binding the medicines with to make it into pill form or some of the dyes, particularly red. The ones most likely to cause me trouble are the generic, I suppose because they cut corners and use ingredients which may not neccessarily be good for you.The party that I would like to see come forward, would be the honest American party, but as long as big corporations are funding elections, politicians are not going to work for the individual, only the ones holding the purse strings, because honest people are not politicians and politicians are not honest people.

Capitalist democracy. Democratic system controlled by the economic interests.

What can we say...

KARL MARX WAS RIGHT.

Why is the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, Kathleen Sebilis, wasting time and tax dollars on the packaging on cigarettes rather than addressing a vital problem like this?

The lack of questions being asked is deafening in it's silence.

Why are there companies sitting on overstock of life saving drugs while the direct distributors are in short supply? Why are the direct distributors selling to these Gray Markets rather than to the hospitals/providers?

Why are these companies even allowed to purchase life saving prescription medication for resale if they are not in the business of treating patients?

Why are we funding the Department of Health and Human Resources, the FDA and the Surgeon General (along with several other agencies with duplicative duties) if they can't handle something this critical?

By the way, the reason drugs are cheaper in Canada, is that Canada does not allow advertising and research and development costs to be added into the cost. The same goes for a lot of European countries.

Therefore, the US people foot the bill for the R&D for the rest of the world...not that it's new that we end up paying for the rest of the world.

Too bad the drug companies already charge US customers 300% more for the same drug that they sell in other countries. Why do you think Canada, Mexico, all of Central and South America, Europe, and Asia have much lower medical costs? It is because Americans are paying the full price for the R&D so that they can then sell the same drug cheap in the other countries. Who knows, maybe these "grey market" companies are nothing more than subs of the manufacturers???????

Read the story Joe. Congress didn't give the FDA the power to do what you are asking them to do.

Mister Tamboroneman,

Nowhere in the article did it say that the drugs were actually sold. There is not corruption/collusion to point to. Just prices people want. I would love to list my house at $1B too, but until it sells for that.....Therefore, to me the article is a waste effort.

By the way, not every drug was invented in the USA. Americans have this complex where they think the rest of the world couldn't possibly do without them.

Being a free market economy chances are the Gray Marketers are simply buying up the products and holding them off the market until the price goes up, the American way to riches.

Time for a War on Drug Companies.....

Most of the pharmaceutical drugs now are made overseas; the profit ratio is unreal; Congress was warned about this around 1990, instead the did nothing, hell even NIH grants are going to overseas labs to develop new medications, once a drug pattern runs out, they can no longer charge the markup( some times 10,000%), since the company's in third world country's now sell it; so they go to newer higher priced drugs; and make sure the U.S. Congress passes laws to prevent importation of other drugs; the donations to Congress/Senate running for re-election is among the highest of all industry groups; you get what you pay for!

I'll just leave this here: http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=h04#toprecips

Barack Obama was a top recipient of contributions from Big Pharma, 2nd only to Mitt Romney (2011-2012 cycle) If you look at the graph below the one I linked, you will also see that BOTH parties made a TON of money from Big Pharma contributions during the time that Obamacare was in the works.

But we'll just ignore this small, unimportant piece of info and just keep screaming "It's the Republibaggens fault ahrhaharhrahrah!!". Open your eyes and realize that BOTH parties are corrupt.

Shady drug dealers

Some of you are so clueless it's amazing.

It's funny how so many uneducated people think this is a problem of an unregulated industry. The problem is the over regulation of drug manufacturing. The FDA limits which companies can make certain drugs, creating shortages. They also impose so many regulations that when a drug goes off patent, it isn't cost effective to make them. We also have to blame ourselves and these slip and fall lawyers. Close to 50% of the cost of generic drugs given in a hospital is insurance to cover the drug in case of a reaction.

The only thing that could have saved us was a single payer system with importation of drugs if necessary to limit the profit for big drug companies. The rape and pillage continues, and TP/Repubs support it, for greed.

The industry’s political generosity increased in the years leading up to Congress’ passage in 2003 of a prescription drug benefit in Medicare.

arndt - #1.37

George W. Bush giveaway at tax payers expense... sigh

Open your eyes and realize that BOTH parties are corrupt.

Agreed but, what solution is available???

Its time for the Government to Nationalize the entire drug industry. This is proof that the Big Wig Drug industry doesn't care about the people, they only care about greed money.

cdahl

Mister Tamboroneman,

Nowhere in the article did it say that the drugs were actually sold. There is not corruption/collusion to point to. Just prices people want. I would love to list my house at $1B too, but until it sells for that.....Therefore, to me the article is a waste effort.

....the only wasted effort, my friend, is your pathetic attempt to equate pricing a house with the cost of life-saving medicines

Isn't capitalism a wonderful thing - the free unfettered marketplace is efficient ... at killing people.

Oh it get's better. Another little trick big-pharma is using is when their patent expires and a generic version is available, they buy the company, stop producing the generic and force consumers to by their much more expensive "name brand". Just another example of the "American Dream"...for some anyway.

Longhorn-3739497

It's funny how so many uneducated people think this is a problem of an unregulated industry. The problem is the over regulation of drug manufacturing. The FDA limits which companies can make certain drugs, creating shortages. They also impose so many regulations that when a drug goes off patent, it isn't cost effective to make them. We also have to blame ourselves and these slip and fall lawyers. Close to 50% of the cost of generic drugs given in a hospital is insurance to cover the drug in case of a reaction.

Speaking of uneducated, it's not the FDA limits, it's patent laws. By law, a drug company cannot produce a generic version of a drug until expiration of the developing company's patent. If that's not bad enough, you blame the victim! How many drugs have been pulled off the market because they are either dangerous or ineffective or both? Do you believe the drug companies recalled them on their own? A hospital can be named in the suit, but it's the pharmaceutical company that's on the hook so long as the medication was administered according to manufacturer's recommendations. So, what smoke screen would you like to throw up next? ...it's Obama's fault because he was born in Kenya?

A Senate work group is focused on stopping the shortages.

Watch how the Republicans in the Senate stop this "Senate work group". Anything that would stop any of their donators from bilking the public meets strong opposition from the Republicans on the Senate floor. In fact anything that would help the common people will meet strong opposition from the Republicans on the Senate floor since it might mean their wealthy friends might not get another tax break.

@robbopaloobop

I can see that, fine. But nowhere in the article did it state that someone actually sold a single pill/drug.

I guess to clarify my point, I would have rather read an article pointing out the reason for the shortage, vs. something that was never proven to have been sold/billed to the taxpayer.

As the Tea Partyers are in Obama's face, their buddies (who Bush entrenched) are bending them over big time. It's about time to take that socialism fear tactic ... grab these folks ... and put it where the sun don't shine!!!

Ah, reading these posts I see the Socialists are out in force today. This problem is twofold and easily remedied if the Obama administration has the time in between re-election stops.

These gray market suppliers operate in a manner similar to ticket scalpers and the solution is simple. Any supplier offering drugs at an excessive markup would have their license revoked effectively putting them out of business. What could be simpler than that?

As for those pharmaceuticals that simply stop producing certain drugs, it seems that the only reason would be that there is no longer any profit in them. There are two possible reasons; low demand or excessive regulation.

These high drug prices are the Tea Party's fault? Give me a break.

I'm surprised that hospitals would even be buying drugs from these "gray market" suppliers to begin with! Who are these "gray market" suppliers, and how can we be sure the drugs they supply are even safe and effective?

Let's watch the liberals how they work. Let's shorten the patent rights to drugs and thus lower their abilities into research and development. Let us continue to allow foreign countries, such as Canada, to ignore our patents. Let us continue to push our citizens to purchase our drugs in Canada who has them manufactured in Israel and elsewhere. This lowers the profits of drug companies so less rolled over to research and development.Let's lower their profits so orphan drugs are not produced because of their cost.

There is a common misconception that drug companies just sit on tons of cash but that is not necessarily true. If they have a popular drug then sure they take in a great deal of money. When those patents expire those same companies can have difficulty to survive. For that reason a great of money is put into research and development.

This story is about the grey market sellers. These are the ticket scalpers of the medical services industry. They are in business because they know the supply and demand is so great. The cost of orphin drugs to make is so great only a small amount is produced. Scream at the drug companies if you like but look into the mirror when you find things like this going on.

GOP vs Dems vs Tea Party aside, there are "gray markets" all over the world, in which sick or starving people are held hostage to their needs by people who corner the market in the things they desperately need. The Soviet Union's economy and people often survived on the Gray Market, which tells you just how well Marxism actually survived into the real world. China has a huge one. It won't go away, though, because these people have lots of money and influence in every capital city in the world, and in the media, as well. You will read about this happening, but would you like to bet on those in control ever seeing their names printed as being the movers behind it all, much less being called to task?

it's refreshing to see that at least a few people took the time to read, and comprehend, what is being presented in the article. maybe everyone in america isn't hopeless after all. most of you continue to scream and cry about democrats and republicans, about big pharma and big corporations, about insurance and single payor systems, but of course none of that addresses what is happening here. please re-read and try some reading comprehension next time. what is being discussed are small, rogue distributors asking for (not necessarily receiving) high prices on high demand items in short supply. simple supply/demand economics you should have learned in high school, assuming you went to high school.

Mr. Tamborineman, "Hey"

cdahl= SPARE US ALL!

Try RESEARCH & Forget the CORPORATE LIES!

You DESERVE BETTER and SOOOO do WE....................

Mike, I found your arguments compelling until I got to this...

More than forty dollars of every one hundred dollars of output are appropriated by the government against the will of the individual citizens who produce that output.

Surely you have proof to back up this claim? I produce goods for sale to the public and nobody "appropriates" $40 of every $100 I produce. In fact taxes and regulations have never been as lax as they are currently. Then there was this...

Interest rates are artificially manipulated by a secretive, private bank with a monopoly on fiat money. There is absolutely nothing free or capitalistic about it.

I think you should research what America was like before the big bad Fed was created to combat inflation. The market volatility of the old system wreaked havoc on our economy and life was NOT better. Untill you have a better system to replace it with, the Fed is here to stay.

Corporations are also privileged entities that are enabled and protected BY THE GOVERNMENT, and you guys think MORE government is the solution.

The preferential treatment given to corporations would only INCREASE with smaller government and less oversight. Add to that the less regulation that you seem to be in favor of and there will be nothing to prevent unrestrained corruption and exploitation of our nation, but maybe you think that would be a good thing? Do you have proof that only 10% of hospitals are "private" and 90% are government owned? Where I live the opposite seems to be true.

Because of wage controls implemented by the government in the early 40s, it became SOP for businesses to offer health insurance as a perk, since the government outlawed wage increases.

During WWII the government did in fact implement wage/price controls to combat inflation and labor shortages, but they ended with the war. They were re-instated again during the Korean war and again ended with the war. There weren't any peace time wage/price controls until Nixon. I don't believe they ever "outlawed" wage increases, but instead tied increases to the production of goods. Employer provided health insurance is a bad thing?

Wake up people! This article is not about Dems, Repubs, the Tea Partiers or free markets.

This article is about drug supply shortages!

The real questions are why are there supply shortages and how can the shortage problem be solved so the regular market will start working again.

Get so tired of the rude uninformed pinheads in these blogs always having to find a scapegoat to blame!

Funny isn't it this comes from the same people who wrote Obama care what a surprise!

The cure for a shortage of life saving drugs is very simply, if they can't provide then give the opening to the generics companies and watch how fast those shortages are suddenly filled by the companies marking up prices and using the shortage as the reason.

Ya think the pharmacies and manufacturers are bad? Ask an inpatient how much their hospital charges them for a single tylenol. ;)

Well, according to the Repuglicans all of you are commending so proudly to hail, we need LESS governmental regulation and control, we need less involvement by government, and more leniency on free enterprise, claiming so stupidly that the companies can regulate and govern themselves for the common good. All that money they make is suppose to create more jobs, increase wages and benefits, and make the country stronger...

instead of merely making drug companies richer, and giving them more money to throw away lobbying their Butt buddies in the Repuglican circles. Ya' bitch about Obama did this, and Obama did that, but we see what you are offering in Bachmann for a candidate. What a joke, and the Tea Party'rs follow her around like she is the "Joan of Arc" of politics as if she too has had a vision from God.

The problem with repuglicans is, their history, flat out that simple.

Get Corporate (pharmaceutical) influence out of Congress and the legislative branch totally, and to do that, we need to get rich money and influence out of the Supreme Court of Fools.

Wow all the wacko libs jumped on this one. They are all up early, It must be welfare check delivery day.

Economics 101, the less supply given a certain demand, the higher the price/value associated with it. Doesn't matter if it's capitalism, communism, fascism or any hybrid economic system. Certain economic laws are as immutable as gravity is to physics. The question, then is allocation. If you have 10 pills and 100 patients, please provide the most just means of allocation. I'm open to any argument, just ones that don't require offensive Force. And as you can see, you will still have "haves and have nots" to the tune of 90.

Drew, I'll try and do the impossible. Let me educate you. The Obama health care whatever was bought and paid for by insurance industry insiders, who gave huge contributions to key members of the health care panel, to get what they wanted. More money for doing the same thing. This was reported and is well documented. Bribery. Nothing more nor less. Every single American has always been able to get care if they absolutely need it. Just walk into an ER or call 911. This law just makes sure that the insurance companies along with their executives and stock holders get their piece of the pie. Nothing more. It is organized crime, and as time and the courts will demonstrate, illegal.

Unsubstantiated opinion.

Remember the $3,500 hammer? The worst part about your analogy is that I trust the insurance companies/hospitals/individuals to balk at those costs more than the US Federal Government, which if they purchased those at those prices would simple be enabling the Grey Marketers.

Hehe, you trust the insurance companies to balk at the prices???? They are in cahoots with the drug companies and probably these grey marketers.

Greed at the top is the problem and it is condoned by those in power on both sides of the political aisle because of a little thing known as kickbacks. How else could a politician amass the personal wealth they have on a salary of $174,000 per year.

Also, isn't this what the right has asked for? De regulation and free market. No oversight which allows such non sense? It is not as though these are barbies for the kiddies. Or beer for the sloshed. They are life saving necessity's. And why not mark them up? Without regulation or a government to protect its citizens the free market can and will do what it likes. Why? Because money and greed corrupts all absolutely. ; ]

It happened with oil as well. Housing. This is simply the un fettered market at work. In fact further de regulation will cause more purposeful shortages not saying this is purposeful but allow moy point to quicken my son. In fact if I owned a drug company for instance and all I cared for was MY bottom line. Without any oversight I would simply slow down the manufacturing of good's. As to allow me to mark up prices for those who can still afford it as they make end runs to buy up the stock.

WE watched this with the recent loss of 4000 jobs in the FAA when the tea bagging republicans went on vacation to sun themselves leaving a mired stalemate in an attempt to BUST unions from forming in the FAA conglomerates. Taxes were set aside for the airlines and they weren't paying any. BUT and that's your wife's BIG but, they did NOT pass that cost along as tea bagging republicans will tell you business will naturally do. They instead hiked the price of tickets to pass on to the consumer. ; ]America. Land of the free. ; ]

Cheers

Taking a stab here, that this isn't an efficient market when a company stops making a drug.

We need to know why the company would stop making the drug, creating the shortage, before we can determine whether is was over-regulated, under-regulated, or there is a criminal aspect.

I would almost think there's a criminal issue here-perhaps a corporate insider who stockpiles an obscure drug, causes the discontinuation, then sells their stock through a gray company?

The article, as written, answers nothing, and doesn't point at either political party, because it doesn't say why the legitimate producer just stopped producing.

Horse puckey...

This isn't a Republican thing. If I wanted to make an equally specious argument, I could say that the reason there are shortages is all the regulation of the manufacturer's by the mostly Democratically controlled congress over the last half century.

This is really a story of availability and those that take advantage of it in the natural supply/demand cycle. The reason there are not enough of these drugs is complex. Where the FDA/FTC needs to step in and make sure that these grey-market companies are offering genuine and effective products and then make sure the primary suppliers have access to the materials they need to alleviate the shortage and that will run these grey market guys off.

These little guys aren't funding either party to any significant extent. My guess is that all of them together don't spend as much on "education" for doctors and/or congress-people as McKesson.

Some people want to make everything partisan. Economics isn't partisan, it just is.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Investigate what? It's perfectly legal. When supply is short and demand doesn't decrease, prices rise, that's capitalism. That's standard economics, there's nothing at all illegal about it. So what is there to investigate?

You investigate the cause of the shortage and look for illegal manipulation

Z1P2 - so you support what these price gougers are doing!!!!?

Z1P2 - I agree, there is nothing illegal about any of this.

Immoral, well...thats a whole other question. We arent talking about a manufacturer of pokemon cards ya know.

the cause of the shortage is excessive government regulation. investigation closed.

MmmMmm, what the heck are you talking about? Government regulations cause the shortages? Shortages are caused by two things; 1. the drug companies reduce production so they can increase prices or they have a newer drug coming out they want people to switch to because it is under patent and more expensive or 2. the marketing arm of the drug company has done such a good job selling it to doctors that every doctor is prescribing it. Not because it is "better" but because it is the latest and greatest!

Doctors have told me that they tend to prescribe whatever drug the last rep has been in there pitching because it is fresh in their mind!

The only thing the insurance companies have to do with it is negotiating special pricing with the pharmacy or drug company to reduce their cost. They do not get kickbacks; negotiated pricing just like with doctors and hospitals.

BJ - yes, government regulation has caused the shortages. Look at number of NDA's issued over the past decade, dropped proportional to the increased regulation of clinical trials. Innovation is at an all time low. Big pharma has scrambled to merge with small biotech to fill pipelines....which not-so-coincidentally get fast-track status to market. Production is capped due to cGMP regulation (manufacture). Price points are set by clinical utility and not some imaginary price increase. You clearly have no idea what you are talking about..the media has gotten to you, don't blindly believe everything you read. A little research into the subject goes a long way.

If that is what your doctor does, I say ditch him. Most do not. Most doctors are given a "crash course" in the medication's MOA and are armed with clinical data which is also free for you to review at clinicaltrials.gov. A little research goes a long way my friend.

Z1P2 - so you support what these price gougers are doing!!!!?

drewv, the world isn't black and white. It's full of shades of gray too. Just because it's wrong and immoral doesn't mean it is or should be illegal. There's no reason to waste time and money investigating things that are perfectly legal.

You investigate the cause of the shortage and look for illegal manipulation

Did you read the article? The people raising rates are not within the standard supply chain.

Drewv, you are talking out of both sides of your head. Go do your homework.

Commodities producers can sell to to whoever has the money to buy, just like the drug producers.

The U.N. Allow RICE SHORTAGES in HUNGER Countries.

While WAREHOUSES are FULL.

By Allowing JUST 2 MEGA-- RICE IMPORT -EXPORT Worldwide !

For Distribution !

The GOP/ME-PaRTY See Us As NO DIFFERENT and EXPENDABLE.

Sounds Just LIKE HEALTHCARE ...SEE ?

Just PRICE the PEON OUT...................................

Only took a few posts for someone to be the first idiot to turn this story into a political issue! Sheesh!

It is ALL POLITICS !

Only An IDIOT is To SLOW NOT to GET IT !

When you talk about hoarding drugs to sell at a 3000% markup of course it seems criminal, and Constitutionalists would agree. But that's the price you pay for freedom; would you rather govt tell you when to crap and how many sheets of paper to wipe your butt with? That's what happens when you relegate your god given freedom to govt, they'll take it seemingly reluctantly then they'll take more. Give 'em an arm and they'll take a leg too. That example is why we (America) are in an economic mess - too much govt power: too much regulation on citizens and not enough regulation on govt.

We are heading into a Greatest Depression in case you don't know. If there are no drastic changes to de-regulate and lower taxes and curtail govt spending, we will most certainly be in a Great Depression within a couple years. Having said that, are you not "hoarding" water and canned soups, grains, beans, gold/silver, comfort food and necessities? No, then you are a fool (like my own family). If yes, then you are not true to your own argument.

Free market is not perfect but it is best. Btw, if you had a life threatening disease and needed a special drug that cost $25 per bottle, why would you wait until you were almost out to renew the prescription? Seems to me survival of the fitness will be around Forever, and when we take things for granted then we deserve our fate 'cause siht happens.

We Americans must change our attitude or we will not survive. Lol.

too much govt power: too much regulation on citizens and not enough regulation on govt.

You may have a point there. Perhaps it's time to disband the Army and allow you to exercise you "God Given Right" as outlined in the 2nd Amendment. Defend yourself big boy!

Trumpsa,

Is there nothing between the extremes you paint? There is only totaly free market or total government control of your private life?

What makes you think Canada is in any better condition? They source their drugs from the same places as the US.

The Closet SOCIALIST PALIN loves canada healthcare !

Ya! Go CANADA! the U.S. needs to look at other options and systems that work. and while your at it. Why don't you stop trying to Freedomize the world. As Americans don't you ever think that maybe your the bad guy????? Germany once had an army based on the same principals as yours. What was that guys name who tried to control Europe???

I spend a lot of my time in Canada, and I can attest to the fact that drugs are WAY cheaper there. It's not about who they get the drugs from so much as the laws governing how much the companies are allowed to jack up prices.

My husband declined to purchase part "d" insurance cuz he said: "I'll just get this stuff from Canada". Welllllllll, since lots of meds come from India and there are all kinds of complications betwixt here and there, he failed to get some B/P meds as needed. He called CanPharm and they told him our own Homeland Security was the cause of the hold-up. He had to go back to the dr., get more script written and buy locally at a HUGE price difference. Eventually the meds from CanPharm DID arrive. There are no easy answers. One of the meds I need was on backorder for months..........and I do have part "D" and get most of my meds 90 days at a time in the USA. It was a super cheap thing too. Planned shortages folks!

We could learn much from Canada, wish we would. I envy them their affordable healtcare and respect for their people.

Jackie is right Canada gives the PH Co. so much time to get back the expense for testing the drugs etec. Then they must lower the price to be compatible with what it costs to make such drugs. Unlike the US where the say it cost so much for testing and research and start at a high price and gets even higher after the drug has been on the market 4 or 5 years. I get mine from the V.A. but I also get some drugs from Canada that are even cheaper and they are the same color and same name.

It's me again I just checked my BP med and guess what? Made in India and it didn't come from Canada this came from Sam's before I got switched to VA. $10 for three months.

wow you all must live in a dream world. The Canadian system is taking a heavy toll on the country's economy...the loonie (their dollar) has dropped in value every week since February 2011...same in France which boasts the so-called #1 health care system in the world. You realize the reason Canadians can get their drugs cheap is because patients in the US pay the bulk of the cost? You must not know how global price points are set for medication. And don't get me started on counterfeit drugs entering their supply chain. If you remove the US revenue, then prices will go up elsewhere in the world...remember nothing is "free" no matter what our neighbors to north would have you believe. But hey, if you like their system so much, there's plenty of uninhabited land for you to move to!

First of all, the Canadian loonie hit an all-time high recently and is still above the historical average compared to the US dollar. Furthermore, since Canada is an export-based economy, Canada actually likes to have its dollar slightly lower than the Americans.

Second of all, the Canadian system allows the cost of R&D to be included in the drug price UNTIL the drug company has recovered the cost of R&D. Then, the cost must drop to production only. This is different from the USA, where the cost is initially high because of R&D, and then climbs higher even though these expenses have been recovered.

Thirdly, it's not like the USA doesn't get counterfeit drugs in THEIR supply chain.

Fourth, many medications were developed outside the USA, and this number is only rising.

Fifth, Canadians do not believe that their health care system is "free"; they recognize that they pay for it in higher taxes, which they prefer to being at the mercy of insurance companies and drug costs like the ones outlined in this article.

Finally, telling people to leave the USA if they don't like the health care is not patriotic. People can like living in the USA and want to remain there, but recognize that some aspects of the USA aren't perfect. Patriotism isn't blindly believing that your country is perfect; patriotism is trying to better your country, which sometimes means recognizing areas of potential improvement. Nobody's saying that the Canadian or French system is perfect either; they're just saying that in this area, they do things differently, which many people find desirable because they are not required to pay thousands of dollars for drugs when they have life-threatening diseases.

First - Canadian loonie dropped 3% last week.

Second - again you do not realize how price points are set. I'm not arguing here, I'm stating a fact. Clearly you have never worked for, nor had any education regarding the pharmaceutical industry. Prices are set based on "what a reasonable person would pay" based on clinical utility. Clinical utility can be thought of as how efficacious the medication is. The better it works, the more the company can charge, and the people will pay it. By artificially capping those prices through mandates, you get your medicine cheaper in Canada regardless of utility. The cost of production, R&D of that medication (not to mention the 1000 other targets which failed to get to phase I), cost of advertising, cost of administration, plus the value based on utility is passed along to those who can reasonably pay it....i.e. the US. We do shoulder those costs so your government can artificially lower them...you're welcome. Should we do the same, the medications will either a)rise in price in all markets or b) cease to be manufactured.

Third - correct I never said we don't, but our supply chain is one of the most secure in the world when it comes to counterfeit drugs being detected.

Fourth - due to FDA regulation the number of NDAs has dropped over the decade. If other non-US based companies want to step to the plate then by all means! No one is advocating for stifling innovation.

Fifth - great, here in America most of us do not support higher taxes, especially on the middle class. In addition, most of us are not at the beck and call of insurance agencies, myself my family, everyone I have ever known, every employee I've ever had, and every employer who has hired me. Of course there are horror stories, but they come from EVERY system in the world. None is perfect.

Finally - I'm not saying leave if you don't like our healthcare, I'm saying leave if you want to have Canadian health care. That's how it works, eh? You have to be Canadian, paying Canadian tax, to take advantage of Canadian health care. In America, if you don't like it, you change the system. You do not copy and paste from a burdened system. I do not blindly believe anything here is perfect and nothing in my post implies that. I have had years experience and an advanced degree on health care management. There are many pieces I would borrow from other systems - single payor is not one of them, nor is price capping. In Canada and France, yes you but your butt they are paying thousands for their potentially life saving medications. They just don't pay the service provider, they pay the government. Again not a piece of the puzzle I would want to borrow.

This week is not indicative of a long-term trend. This week, every economic indicator has been all over the map. I have money in Canadian accounts and so I watch the Canadian loonie closely. The Canadian loonie has been unusually high over the last few months, and is forecasted to remain high. The main issue I took with your post was your statement that Canada's health care system is dragging their economy down, when in reality, nobody in Canada is blaming health care for economic woes. Canada's economy is closely tied to the US economy, which is suffering.

However, I appreciate the rest of your comments. There are differing opinions on health care systems, and the USA may very well develop a better alternative to single payer systems. However, the USA is currently ranked lower than Canada in terms of health care. I don't think that copying and pasting another nation's health care system will work either - the USA is too large and diverse for a one-size-fits all method. I think most people advocating the Canadian system or the French system don't necessarily want to copy it, they just point to it as an example of how government regulation of health care can produce good results, whereas the Tea Party wants to get rid of all government involvement in health care.

And I apoligize for implying that you were implying that the USA's system is perfect. I've been frustrated by some blindly patriotic people recently and I guess I was projecting.

Hey Jackie I appreciate your comments as well, I was pointing out that nobody is right...all we can do is learn from eachother, do some homework for ourselves, and not blindly believe the news (which is a big, greedy corporation too). I think we're both on the same page now...and I've also been a huge advocate for exactly what you said "don't think that copying and pasting another nation's health care system will work either - the USA is too large and diverse for a one-size-fits all method." Having said that I still think the gov't needs to step out of many aspects of health care. The two things I think the US, and indeed global health care, is in dire need of are: improved rapid diagnostics, and cost-effectiveness studies on all medications, medical technologies, and surgical procedures. We in the US especially need to improve chronic disease management and compliance. That alone will bring down costs by $29 billion per year. Win-win, people stay healthy and we save some cash! Anyways sorry bout earlier I hadn't eaten lunch yet and I too am tired and frustrated by the knee jerk reactions out there whenever there is a story on any type of pharmaceutical anything.

Agreed :)

This article about health systems might interest you: http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/Canadian+health+system+more+efficient+than+Study/5212143/story.html?cid=megadrop_story

I think what you said about increasing efficiency and costs is important, but the other thing to do is eliminate paperwork. I find that the US system is cumbersome and unorganized, which creates a lot of paperwork, which is inefficient, whereas the Canadian system is more consolidated. Of course, reducing government involvement in many areas would also assist with this problem by reducing red tape.

Absolutely, last I read the FDA still did not accept electronic filing for something as simple as marketing material approval. I've also read that administrative (in general terms, hospitals, insurance, etc.) account for something ridiculous like 30% of HC spending! Medtech may be as much as 50%! Think about all the CT scans people get when they bump their heads. A quicker, cheaper diagnostic needs to be created to pre-screen these patients. It's nuts and one of many things that needs to be updated.

That article was an interesting read for sure. I still argue that single payer is not the way for us here in the US, as you mentioned, being as large and diverse as we are. When things like electronic filing and electronic health records are standardized, that should reduce these paperwork issues. I feel we need an more efficient system but still have healthy competition and choices. Just my two cents :)

Thank you, sir (or madam?), for this very informative post. I learned a lot. It makes for a very frightening vision of the future and show the pitfalls of allowing the free market to deal with health care issues.

I wish there were more thoughtful and informative posts of this nature on all articles of discussion.

counterfeit drugs is always a huge problem, mostly occurring outside the US. However you need to stop and investigate the reason for the shortages, most of the time it is due to the very FDA regulations you wish to increase. More oversight will lead to more shortages, and I for one do not want that situation to occur.

Please MMBeer, provide some support for your hypothesis that FDA regulation is the reason for shortages.

Post 3.7 - here's a summary

# NDA's this decade

Cost of clinical trials

cGMP and GLP revamps

Pharma-biotech M&A leading to fast track biologics

Bush provided the lax regulation climate that brought this country down.

BUSH ERA = GREED

Look what happened

You mean the democrat congress that was in control after 2006, don't you? Or how about the next four years democrats controlled congress, two of those having the Whitehouse as well. What did they do to prevent this? Answer: NOTHING!

OBAMA ERA = ENVY

The Dems only had a super majority for 2 years and Repubs still filibustered and obstructed every chance they got.

Especially if they see it coming and invest early - hhmmm, would that be legal if they are the ones who establish laws that ...... never mind

It’s the republican way, something for nothing.

Shady drug dealers.

excuse me, but if small grey market companies have corporate greed, and large corporations have corporate greed, and of course all of America thinks they deserve an SUV and big house, then please tell me who is not greedy in this country?

Mmm... you have proof that "all of America thinks they deserve an SUV and big house"?

Stop trying to deflect the public outrage at the corporate greed, it is waranted.

sure it is warranted, but we need to look inward at ourselves to discover the root of the problem. Greed is America's new value system. Proof is in the housing bubble. Proof is in the GM bailout. Interesting you speak about corporate greed on a pharma thread, while GM, Exxon, and heck even APPLE! record profit margins each and every quarter. People are sick and dying but hey we all got iPods to jam to! Where's the outrage about that? Oh yeah it happened in the past so nobody cares anymore. Healthcare is just the political soup de jour and you know it.

If my neighbor is stealing from me, I don't think about how I too would like nicer things so they aren't to blame for the theft. As for your derail to other industries, they too are issues yes but this is about Pharma and the parasites that look at healthcare as a money tree.

The next big opportunity may be in marketing used body parts

If you don't like it Jackie, move to Greese.

Where is Greese?

You can like America and still recognize when something in our system is broken. Being patriotic doesn't mean blindly clinging to how everything is - being patriotic means wanting to better your country, and sometime that involves criticizing aspects of it that could use some improvement.

CW420,

have you been out of your room today? Since you seem fond of telling other people to leave, why not pack it up yourself if you don't like Obamacare?

http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=h04#toprecips

Look at the #2 top recipient of Big Pharama money.

(HINT: It's Barack Obama)

arndt,

yet he is willing to regulate the big pharma companies, but the repubs want to stay on the pharma tit. What does that say about the pubs and baggers?

marklepew

Did you read any of that? Do you really think that drug companies give Obama money "just because"? Do you think that they would give money to someone bent on destroying them? Ever hear the phrase "Follow the money"?

The drug industry is heavily regulated, and look how bad the problem is.

Critical thinking skills, marklepew. Use them!! Get off the partisan party wagon.

This problem predates either President Obama or Obamacare (most of which has not taken effect and will not until 2013).

There are a lot of regulations on Drug Companies, most of which have nothing to do with prices. They are free enterprise just like most other industries in this country. They are allowed to make as much as they want; unfortunately at our expense.

Do I support that, heck no! My husband has drug bills exceeding $2,500 monthly and with my group insurance, I pay in excees of $650 per month in co-pays.

And, we haven't started talking about doctor and hospital bills. I will never be able to retire because my retirement will not pay the medical bills.

No "free market" exists--it is all manipulated, and not for the good of the American people!

Well, the drug industry is heavily regulated, and there is no free market (where is the competition, generic brand, overseas drugs, etc.) and the problem is happening now. So... what does this have to do with deregulation?

the drug industry is heavily regulated~arndt

Then please explain how they are marking up their products over 4500% or more?

If you need to check with Rush or Glenn Beck...... we'll wait for you to parrot back the talking points they load your lips with.

marklepew

It is obvious now - you are just an idiot.

Someone could throw facts in your face and you'd still regurgitate the party line.

FYI: I listen to neither Beck nor Limbaugh. Your knee-jerk judgements prove you to be a lemming.

I think USSR tried Nationalized industries several decades ago. Didn't work out so great.

Move to Venezuela then.

Why do we need to nationalize them - we can just open up competing businesses with our pooled resources as tax payers, and it wont be govt run - privately run by a board of members, elected by us the tax payers.

We will simply offer higher wages to the best workers at our competitors, and thats where the profits will go to. Our board memebers will earn honest and logical wages for their role, but nothing exceeding the highest paid WORKER at the company.

I have enough faith that there are enough people in the medical community, and working for these drug manufacturers that want to save lives not make massively gross profits...that we COULD compete via capitalism...if we really wanted to.

It's possible the republicans are right on one point...we dont want to take any risks and create the businesses we think sould exist, we want someone else to take that risk...and then give us jobs working there.

Thats what nationalizing them is - eliminating the risk, assuming what someone else created, and doing it how you think it should be done.

I dont like that at all...you want something better? Go create it...go make it happen. We should all be encouraging our young leaders of tomorrow who lean left, to become part of the business world...not just folks who benefit from everyone elses risk taking.

Well, if you press them on it, you will find that conservatives DEFINE the good of society by what the "free market" does. So, in this case, the conservative argument is that the shortage of drugs and the death of innocent people is a GOOD thing ... it must be good, since the "free market" did it. Either that, or they will claim that the existence of any regulation, no matter how far removed from this specific case, must be the "real" reason for the shortage.

Funny thing is that, even though patents are completely contrary to the "free market" they don't seem to count as "regulation." Conservatives hate the free market when its price setting mechanisms get in the way of their profits.

Ya, but you get shot and killed getting to the hospital.

jeff,

Do you still take all those stupid pills.... are is the condition permanent?

The problem is that industries and corporations have shown time and again that given the choice between right and wrong they will always chose wrong if it means one more penny in profit.

You can't legislate morality, but you can legisate consequences for a lack of morality. By your argument, there should be no laws against child labor, abuse, theft, or any other crime or corporate practice that would be considered immoral. The government can't legislate that we all stop looking for ways to gouge money out of the pockets of the seriously ill, but the government can make it more difficult to do and protect the people under their jurisdiction.

"Federal Food and Drug Administration officials say the shortages are caused by manufacturing problems, firms that simply stop making drugs and production delays."

I didn't catch anywhere in the article about drugs being stolen out of the back of a truck or something. I'm sure if I had a room full of spark plugs and China decided to stop making them, I wouldn't be selling them at a discount.

1st Amendment rights means Premier could easily publish the names of these gray-market suppliers and their price-lists. From there, the free market would effectively put most of the price gougers out of business. See, the thing you knee-jerk, follow-the-crowd, "tea-bagger" bashers don't seem to get is that the free market works for both sellers AND buyers.

Yes, yes. You'll argue that these drugs are necessary and you must buy them at any price. Well, no, you don't. The people who mess this up for you are the buyers who are both willing and able to pay what the gray-market price gougers ask. Since money is finite, those folks can't support an inflated market price indefinitely. Don't pay the asking price and the price will come down. Easy.

Plus, as JazzMaster points out, the FDA itself explained how the shortage occur in the first place. Are you suggesting that somehow someone should be forced to manufacture specific drugs? Or that manufacturers should be fined and/or arrested for manufacturing delays? I know you're not suggesting that "the government" go into the drug-making business! Well, OK, maybe YOU are suggesting that, but that's an entirely different argument and, based on my experience with government programs, that would only make the situation worse.

So, let's hear YOUR comments, marty. Better yet, let's hear your SOLUTIONS.

BTW, it's sort of ironic that you used that "prying my gun from my cold dead hands" in the same breath that you use to bash libertarians. . .

there are laws against this sort of thing. the problem here is that our laws apply to us but not to the rich and powerful.

How are you going to force private enterprise to produce drugs - or anything else?

How about you start a non-profit organization which manufactures the drugs that are obsolete or no longer profitable to manufacture?

I suspect if you did that, you would find that there is often a reason that other manufacturers stopped making those drugs. Those same reasons would make it unwise for "the government" to do so. But, at least a non-profit would probably be well-funded by voluntary - tax-deductible - donations.

Remove patent protection of critical drugs in short supply or no longer in production at all, and allow generic drug manufacturers to have a go at supplying them.

Robert: Good point. Why are drugs that are no longer in production protected by patents? That's just crazy. . .

When I became the head of Nursing for the first time in a large hospital, I was shocked at the board meetings where the patients were the last thing mentioned...money, money, money. "Could we possibly find some way to feed them cheaper?". " Won't this med work 'almost' as well as the more expensive med?", "Can't the nurses take one more patient under their direct care?"

People have been suffering at the hands of "health-care" for decades. Even the non-profits are as expensive as the for-profit hospitals and clinics.

If you have a lot of money to spend on health-care you may be in even more danger. If you insist, some doctor, somewhere, will find something wrong with you that they can treat. Many wealthy people I have known have had doctors they dictated to as to what new pill or therapy they desired. There are doctors and others who no longer have patients but instead have customers who will "go somewhere else if they don't get it from you".

I have to say that there are large numbers (vast majority) of doctors and others who hold the patients well-being over profits...and many bang their heads, trying to put the patients interests in front of the stockholders or board or whatever instrument is set up the extract profit.

This has been a big problem for at least 2 years. Did you check the WSJ via google? They first reported on this in their blog november 23. It was in the online journal in February.What do patriotic republicans have to do with this? Federal government and regulations prevent these drugs from being sold legitimately.

hey chuckler, Medicare covers Viagra! Doncha love paying taxes!

The evil Repubs and the Oil companies are going to eat our children and then plan another 9-11. Big government please help us all!