Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

More evidence that FDA considers healthcare costs even though
such considerations are supposedly not the agency’s bailiwick.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnlamattina/2012/03/19/should-the-fda-move-more-drugs-to-otc-status/

…the FDA announced that it was considering moving a number of chronically-used drugs to over-the-counter (OTC) status. The range of medications being considered includes drugs to treat diabetes, migraines, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg justified such a proposal saying that the world is changing and that the FDA has to change with it. She believes that having such drugs available OTC “could free up prescribers to spend time with more seriously-ill patients, reduce the burdens on the already-overburdened health care system and reduce healthcare costs.”

As John LaMattina points out, although OTC status would reduce healthcare costs for society at large, it would increase costs for many patients using the switched drugs since OTC products are generally not covered by health insurance.