Newest on the Doughnut Hole

We just read an interesting article on Congresswoman Nancy Johnson in the Herald regarding a group of 50 protesters chanting "Hey, hey, ho, ho - the donut hole has got to go" Friday outside U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson's office on Grove Place. The main focus was on Johnson and Medicare Part D. Johnson is the self-styled architect of Medicare Part D, which includes a "donut hole," a gap in drug coverage after seniors and their insurance companies have spent $2,250 on medications.

Part of that article referenced opensecrets.org, a Web site that tracks political campaign contributions. Johnson has received $5,813,018 in campaign contributions from the health-care industry. She chairs the Public Health Committee that oversees health care legislation.

Sherwood told The Herald that Pomerleau had contacted his organization. "We didn't contact her," he said. "But, we were sympathetic to her situation. The 'donut hole' is like having to pull over your new car on the side of the road when it reaches 3,000 miles and walk the next 5,000 miles even though you're still making car payments."

Sherwood said Johnson dismisses people's concerns about the "donut hole" by citing a survey that claims nearly 80 percent of recipients are happy with the Medicare program. "That survey was done before the donut hole went into effect," he said. "It's incredibly misleading to continually use it as a smoke screen." (read more at the Herald…)

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Misperception that FDA approval of a new drug denotes safety

September 28, 2006 – Senior citizens should be among the Americans paying close attention to a report released Friday by the Institute of Medicine that says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lacks the ability to adequately protect Americans from dangerous prescription drugs after they reach the market. Older people are by far the most likely to suffer from dangerous drugs. The report suggests remedies, including a symbol on labels showing the contents are a "New Drug."

Calling it a "scathing report," Consumers Union said it should "set off warning bells in Congress that it must reform the nation’s broken drug safety system now, and put in place an open process where the pharmaceutical industry can no longer hide critical safety information and consumers can have faith in the medicines they take." (Read more...)

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Medicare Introduces New Web Page for Seniors

'Medicare Options Compare' will launch on October 12

September 27, 2006 – Medicare will introduce on October 12 a new Web page to help senior citizens make decisions in selecting a new drug plan during the enrollment period that begins November 15. The old "Medicare Personal Plan Finder," used by millions in the first year, will become "Medicare Options Compare." This is one of the new tools being introduced in the fall promotion campaign called "My Health. My Medicare." The campaign will also emphasize the preventive care features of the basic Medicare program. (Read more...)

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Northerners can buy Canadian (short ride), What about the rest of America?

We recently read A survey from The Ayres, McHenry & Associates survey found among other things that:

• More than 39 million Medicare beneficiaries have coverage
• Seventy percent of Medicare Part D enrollees would recommend that others sign up for the new Medicare prescription drug benefit
• Two-thirds of enrollees think passing the Medicare prescription drug plan was a good idea
• Fifty-eight percent of enrollees say they are saving money with the new benefit

Looking at the survey results of the above figures we are still trying to read these totals, so it makes sense without the bias.

• 70% would recommend the new plan out of 39 million people, so 13 million people would not?
• 66% think the plan was a good idea, so 34% do not?
• 58% say they are saving money on the plan, so 42% do not?

Isn’t the idea to have a plan that would benefit ALL Medicare Recipients? It is common for surveys to show results in a biased view. When you only state the positive side (and it is nice the positive side is larger then the negative, we agree) you are slanting the facts, and the facts are this program is still far from reaching everyone it was supposed to reach.

The house and senate did in fact agree just days ago to allow American consumers to ride across the Canadian border to purchase their medications cheaper. That makes sense if you live in say, North Dakota or New York, but what about the person who lives in Texas or Florida, or somewhere in between?

House and senate members do agree that border seizures must end, and yet drag their feet to pass any law ensuring this measure. The majority of Canadian pharmacies receive their medications from the same manufacturers that American pharmacies do. When people have been ordering their medications from Canada for years, have had not even one documented problem with their medications, why make those who have no easy access to the Canadian border suffer? Their peers in the northern states are now able to drive across the border and receive their medications at a cheaper price. It only makes sense to allow those farther away to continue purchasing their medications from the same trusted and respected licensed online Canadian pharmacies they’ve dealt with for years.

Continue to hope. And write your Congressmen today!

First District Congressman Gil Gutknecht has long supported a free market for prescription drugs, favored allowing Canadian imports and has complained to the FDA about the practice of seizing Canadian drugs. He should now use his seniority in the Republican Party to make sure this provision gets through the conference committee, dominated by his party. Let’s encourage him with a few letters shall we? (As well as other members of Congress)

It’s just the right thing to do.

Congress Emails: Click here for the 540 members of the 109th Congress

The House and Senate finally agree on 90-day supplies of prescriptions from Canada

The House and Senate agree on something!

Finally, the House and Senate Republicans reached an agreement that will allow Americans to bring a 90-day supply of prescription medications back across the border from Canada

For years Americans have shopped in Canada for lower cost medications. Saving on brand-name prescription drugs can be up to 80 percent lower in because Canadians cap their drug prices and don’t play the ridiculous “gouge the consumer” absurd games American companies do.

The agreement was reached this week as part of a Homeland Security spending bill that is moving through Congress, and would prohibit U.S. Customs agents from seizing up to 90-day supplies of prescribed medicines being brought into the U.S. from Canada. This comes in the same week that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced it plans to slash prices for generic prescriptions to $4.00.

Well, at least one American company is doing something!

A pre-election controversy over that enforcement policy threatens to divide House leaders as some are against lifting the import ban and others want cheaper drugs for the elderly. Meanwhile Democrats are pushing for broader access to imported drugs and accuse Republicans of trying to "blow smoke “.

Someone “just do something positive here”.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, brand-name drugs cost, on average, 35 percent to 55 percent less in other industrialized nations than they do in the United States. Supporters of importing drugs contend that the U.S. is subsidizing the cost of medicine for the rest of the world.

Wait…lets stop and think on that for a minute.

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Time Running Out on Medicare Fix

Louis Sciuto, 59, readies a syringe prior to injecting himself with insulin. The state allocated $3.7 million in emergency drug coverage for people like Sciuto who lost benefits under Medicare Part D, but it might not be enough. Until this year, Medicaid paid his doctor bills and covered the 25 prescription drugs he takes to manage his health. That changed Jan. 1, when a glitch in the federal Medicare Part D drug program cost him his Medicaid benefits - including coverage of the immunosuppressant drugs that prevent his body from rejecting the transplanted kidney…(Read more at TBO.com)

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Some Major Medical Plans Dropping Out Next Month

An untold numbers of seniors could find out next month that they will either have to change prescription drug plans or lose coverage altogether because plans participating in the Medicare Part D program could suddenly drop out of the program...read more...

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Eighty Percent of U.S. Adults Favor Allowing Importation of Prescription Drugs

A Recent Helath Poll by Harris Interactive Health Poll found that Eighty Percent of U.S. Adults Favor Allowing Importation of Prescription Drugs. U.S. adults indicate that they favor allowing people to importprescription drugs from Canada and other countries if they are much lessexpensive. A vast majority (84%) of the public strongly or somewhat agreesthat the law banning pharmaceutical imports is intended to protect drugcompanies' profits, while only thirty-six percent say this law helpsprotect Americans from potentially harmful drugs...

More at: Harris Interactive Health Poll Results

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FDA and Fake Drugs - Fact or Fear?

Evidence?

Some may question how FDA defines “counterfeit,” as there are allowable variances in active ingredients from batch to batch from brand-name manufacturers, and also when comparing generics and brand names.

“They have not shown any evidence in that report that the accusations have validity,” said Mr. Troszok, an on-line pharmacist and past president of the Canadian International Pharmacy Association. “Our organization is asking for clarification on this issue before we make any generalized statements.”

Instilling more fear?

David MacKay, a consultant for more than a dozen Canadian on-line pharmacists, shared Mr. Troszok's skepticism. He pointed to the FDA's long-standing opposition to the trade and says it has a pattern of trying to instill fear in the U.S. public about legitimate Canadian drugs.

Testing Methods?

“We have absolutely no indication of the methodology of their testing, or the country of origin,” said Mr. MacKay, a consultant for more than a dozen Canadian on-line pharmacists. “There is a potential this may not be on the up and up.” Mr. MacKay said in recent weeks there been increased buzz among U.S. opponents of the industry about the threat of counterfeit.

Canadian Pharmacies Take the Heat!

The Canadian industry has lost much of its steam in the last 18 months due in large part to the strong Canadian dollar and blacklists by brand-name drug manufacturers that have driven many Internet pharmacists to get their drugs from overseas suppliers. These blacklists are created when a large Pharmaceutical company in the U.S. who makes the same drugs for Canada puts the squeeze on Canadian Pharmacies by choosing to sell limited quantities to Canada thus allowing U.S. Pharmacies to make more when Canada runs low or completely out (which has not happened yet). This mentality hurts Canadians and U.S. buyers as more and more online pharmacies will choose outsourcing to other international companies to fill that gap created by U.S. Pharmaceuticals who insist on being the only choice.

Is it coincidental when for the past year seizures have risen, scare tactics have been initialized, and now fake drugs have been found? What surer way to keep Americans buying American, and Plan D in check.

What do they care?

"Part D seems to be impacting the whole industry," said Betty Sanna, Verispan's product director of managed care. "It's absolutely important to these companies." After a bumpy start to the program, Medicare Part D has had a pronounced effect on pharmaceutical companies' financial results, with a majority of U.S. pharmaceutical revenues in the second-quarter exceeding Wall Street expectations.

But experts caution that the upside to U.S. pharmaceutical earnings may not last. As the financial costs of maintaining the benefit rise (Plan D), plans may limit choices to products that are the best value for the money, and many payers will implement generic-only formularies, allowing access to branded medicines only after a generic drug has failed.

How 10 Largest Drug Firms Benefit From Medicare Part D

Some of the biggest pharmaceutical companies are generating a higher proportion of sales from their drugs' participation in the Medicare Part D prescription drug program. The companies are ranked by U.S. retail sales.

% Part D prescriptions-Biggest Company-January-July 2006-Part D Drug

1. Pfizer Inc. - 8.8 percent - Lipitor
2. GlaxoSmithKline P.L.C. - 7.7 percent - Coreg
3. AstraZeneca P.L.C. - 10.4 percent - Toprol XL
4. Novartis AG - 8.9 percent - Diovan
5. Merck & Co. Inc. - 10.9 percent - Zocor
6. Johnson & Johnson - 5.5 percent - Levaquin
7. Teva Pharmaceuticals - 7.6 percent - lisinopril
8. Sanofi-Aventis SA - 6.7 percent - Ambien
9. Eli Lilly & Co. - 9.5 percent - Evista
10. Bristol-Myers Squibb - 13.6 percent - Plavix


Reference:
pharmacist.com
theglobeandmail (Canada)

Informational articles gathered by
XLPharmacy Canada