Peter Rost: Election Creates Panic Among Drug Makers

[donsu]

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/527


Few recent elections have been as critical for the drug industry as this one. And that's the reason The Wall Street Journal reports that "Assailed by Democrats, drug companies are pouring millions of dollars into close races, giving some Republicans a financial edge."

What is at stake is a financial windfall the size of which has never before been endowed on a single industry, courtesy of the current administration. And that windfall is coming from drugs for poor people.

By some estimates the windfall for the drug industry could be $2 billion or more this year, and it is the result of the transfer of millions of poor people into the new Medicare Part D program. Under this program, the prices paid by the taxpayer, for the medications given to those unable to pay for drugs, are likely to be higher than what was paid under the Medicaid programs.

This is a program embraced by the current administration, and by the drug companies and the insurance industry. They all work together. In fact, when I was a Vice President at Pfizer (an adventure you can read about in my recent book, "The Whistleblower, Confessions of a Healthcare Hitman"), I received a phone call from someone calling on behalf of the CEO, requesting that I pay $2,000 for a fund raising dinner for President Bush's reelection. So did many other employees, co-opted into supporting an administration they couldn't stand.

The Democrats have seen less money from the drug industry and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi has said that within the first 100 hours of taking over the House that she will help rewrite the prescription-drug benefit to take away most of the advantages it handed to pharmaceutical companies.
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the drug barons should be tried for crimes against humanity

[tanyev]

1. What? This is going to be a huge opportunity for them.

Just think how many Republicans are going to have to medicate themselves after the election.


:)

[tridim]

2. Rush's consumption alone puts about 100 of their kids through college

Wonder if he's hanging out at Denny's with a cigar box full of cash this weekend?

[Demit]

3. Hahahahahahahahahaha! >snort

[porphyrian]

4. Aw, poor pharmaceutical corporations... - n/t