“Nelson won numerous changes, including tougher restrictions on abortion coverage and an estimated $45 million in federal Medicaid funds, enough to completely cover his state’s costs of complying with an expansion of the program mandated by the bill.”

How’s it feel to know you will be paying for your own state’s additional costs. Plus those of the states who’s representatives held out?
Isn’t buying votes illegal? And more, don’tcha wish your senator was a hold out too? You will when the tax bill comes.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_health_care_overhaul

Research Approach: This research project has focused on pilot-scale manufacturing of Dilantin capsules as a CRADA with Pfizer.”
_____________________

This is far worse than eminent domain in my opinion. They can take the health of the people they are supposed to protect, for research, without our consent. There is a fortune committed to it.

I just want to know why me? And because they continue, was it all for nothing? 20 years down the road someone will slap their forehead and say, crap, this was a mistake. Poor bastards.

But hey, the drug companies have invested so much in their new manufacturing & diagnostic processes, how can we not let them do the work?

Take a step back Senators. Look again.

1. How many truly innovative drugs have arisen, and been developed, in the U.S., in contrast with countries where there _are_ price controls?

2. What does “research and development” actually mean, on the ground, re: what specific endeavors it covers (how much has anything to do with “research” as we usually understand it?)

3. What historical and cross-national evidence is there of a correlation between drug prices and the incicence of significant new drug discovery and development?

If we don’t seriously and empirically engage questions such as these, we are, as far as I’m concerned, whistling where the moon don’t shine.

I completely agree. Reimportation serves as a convenient distraction from confronting this core issue.

If, as Evelyn suggests, there are “whores” to be outed, my view would be it is those who don’t have the courage to confront this issue (wherever you stand), and play around with easy-headline fantasies about Canada instead.

FDA-Pfizer CRADA: Quality by Design and Process Monitoring of Pharmaceutical Manufacturing at Pilot-Scale

http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/CDER/ucm142591.htm
(scroll half way down the page)

“Since pilot-scale manufacturing facilities are not available at the FDA, this collaboration provides the Agency with an opportunity to conduct on-line research related to the implementation and validation of PAT tools. It also provides access to Pfizer’s industry leading expertise in the area of on-line PAT and chemical imaging of pharmaceutical products.”

Read the report on that CRADA, really. That didn’t go well for so many people. The page has since been updated. The original date was something like September 2007. I’d have to dig up the printed copy to be certain.

Baucus, Max - Dem MT - $261,020 - No

he was the guy who got the bill passed through the senate financial committee. he has received more pharma support than the NJ senators.
It appears that pharma targeted him because he is the chair of the committee. No pharmaceutical companies in montana, last I heard. he made the deal with pharma with support from the White House perhaps.

The figures above do not represent soft money which is in the millions. It would be interesting to see what tactics pharma employed to pay off these senators on the quiet.
McCain receives no support from pharma, would he have been a better choice for the country?

reimportation may not work in reality but it is a creative move to get around an impossible and illegal situation of manipulation of the free market by Merck, GSK and Pfizer.

Washington needs to legalize prostitution before those whores in Congress and the Obama administration get arrested.

You are right, the data only say but so much given that many republicans voted against their previous stances as a means of muddling up the healthcare reform debate. In addition, some democrats may have voted against importation despite their previous stances because of a desire to move the debate forward without adding an additional element of controversy (ie, bucking White House pressure by reneging on the deal with PhRMA.

One additional note…I believe that FDA commissioners or Secretaries of HHS going back to the Clinton administration have all opposed importation on safety grounds. This is not unique to Hamburg.

My opinion is that importation is a false issue. Undoubtedly, there is a safety issue if we open up parallel drug trade. There no way anyone can say that it will be safer than today. Europe has seen a significant jump in diverted and counterfeit drugs. Since pharma companies can easily control the actual amount of medication entering say Canada, it is highly likely that middle men will source drugs from other countries (pick a country) or from counterfeiters.

The real issue, of course, is price controls. Congress should have the guts to recognize that and either decide to pursue price controls or not. Obviously, I’m against them, since I truly believe that price controls in the US will stifle innovation. I’m quite sure others are in favor of them. Either way, that is what Congress should be debating, not importation.

Atlex