The Stimulus Package and Drug Research
(I’ve worked in several high-end restaurants and have witnessed firsthand how drug companies wine and dine doctors while presenting a PowerPoint analysis of their products.) Part of what makes these drugs so expensive is the money it costs to take doctors out to dinner, pay Sally Field, and get the airtime to convince consumers they need Boniva.
The stimulus package would help restore some balance to the healthcare system by funding independent, comparative-effective research to tune of $1.1 billion. When determining the most suitable treatment for a patient, doctors would be able to reference government research as well as drug-company research. In some instances, big drug companies may have a patent on the most effective treatment. But in others, doctors may be inclined to recommend less expensive drugs. If doctors start prescribing drugs based on their effectiveness rather than the influence of the manufacturer, the cost of everyone’s insurance premiums will go down.
Sure, this is just one step in making healthcare affordable for everyone. But it’s an important one. In the past, the FDA has relied on drug companies’ own research to gauge their products’ effectiveness-essentially, self-regulating.
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