The Truth About Drug Companies

The Truth About Drug Companies
by Marcia Angell, M.D.

Problems:
Big Pharma produces too many me-too drugs, and too few innovative ones.
The FDA is too much in the thrall of the industry it regulates.
Drug co. have too much control over clinical research on their own products.
Patents & other exclusive marketing rights are undesirably long & too elastic.

Problems:
Drug co. have too much influence over medical education about their own products.
Important information about research & development, marketing, & pricing is kept secret.
Prices are too hight and too variable.

Solutions:
U.S. patent law should be enforced in its original form. For example, Prozac should not have been granted a new patent to treat premenstrual tension.
*** The FDA should require comparison of new drugs with old drugs for the same condition; not comparison with placebos.
The FDA needs to be strengthened as an independent agency. It is now dependent on the pharmaceutical industry. The FDA is on big pharma’s payroll via the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (expires 2007) -- authorized drug companies to pay “user fees” to the FDA for each drug reviewed. The FDA needs more govt. funding. FDA advisory committees should exclude experts with financial ties to drug companies.

Solutions:
Create an institute (via NIA) to oversee clinical testing of drugs. Big pharma should no longer be permitted to control the clinical testing of their own drugs.
Curb monopoly marketing rights. The period of exclusivity for brand-name drugs is too long and too easily stretched -- leading to inflated costs.
Get big pharma out of medical education. Big pharma does a poor job of providing medical education; they do an excellent job of selling drugs. Eliminate industry sponsored teaching materials. Professional organizatins should be self-supporting.

Solutions:
Direct-to-consumer advertising should be prohibited in the U.S., as it is in other advanced countries.
The pharmaceutical industry should be regarded as a public utility; its books should be open.
Establish reasonable and uniform pricing. Now, the most vulnerable people pay the highest prices. Unfortunately, the Medicare reform bill of 2003 forbids Medicare to use its purchasing power to bargain for lower prices.