Yesterday, National Public Radio said that the state of Pennsylvania is going to start an "education program" so that the doctors prescribe cheaper, more appropriate drugs, in order to save the state money, and counteract all the drug reps out there. Since there are many biotech and pharma companies in Pennsylvania, I am surprised their lobbyists couldn't stop this.
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1875096 State Seeks to Combat High Drug Costs May 6, 2004 "Pennsylvania will soon launch a counter-offensive against drug companies' efforts to increase sales of their newest, most expensive medicines. The state will send a force of 40 pharmacists and doctors into physicians' offices this fall to try to persuade them to prescribe the most cost-effective drugs. NPR's Richard Knox reports.".
>>...Despite the pharmaceutical industry's enormous clout in Washington - nearly 700 lobbyists - Congress "can't create money," Angell said. "The money so far has come from taxpayers and employers. They can't afford it anymore."
"These medicines are important and useful, and they do save lives and help with pain and suffering," said Wertheimer, the Temple University center's director, who worked previously for Merck & Co. Inc. and, before that, for a pharmacy benefit manager..
"The question is: How much should people pay for them. That's the $64,000 question."<<
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