Amarin Corp Plc (AMRN)

[sts66]

Nice ideas, but I see some immediate problems:

1. The price control issue - companies would have incentive to start with a very high price so the limitation of linking price increases to the CPI is bypassed.

a) if they do that, they risk not getting enough patients on the drug because cost is too high - V was priced low to encourage uptake while we waited for R-IT results.

b) companies would not be able to raise prices to increase profits in order to develop new indications and drugs.

c) The CPI is a garbage number and everyone knows it does not represent actual inflation.

2. The "Consumer Pricing and Protection Provision" is DOA - imposing coverage requirements and price controls on commercial insurers is unconstitutional - the HHS has limited ability to require coverage of certain drugs for Medicare plans because it's a government insurance plan funded by taxpayers, but in general they cannot force Part D providers to cover specific drugs. Heck, this applies to (1) too - drug price controls - Congress and BP will never allow it, especially linking prices to government subsidized drug coverage in the EU.