CA concerned about importing price controls of drugs.Importing price controls of drugs is not the answer for future challenges, noted Consumer Alert in a statement June 16. CA was responding to an endorsement by AARP AARP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan national organization dedicated to "enriching the experience of aging"; membership is open to people age 50 or older. Founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus as American Association of Retired Persons, AARP now has over 30 million of the Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act (S.2328), which would legalize le·gal·ize tr.v. le·gal·ized, le·gal·iz·ing, le·gal·iz·es To make legal or lawful; authorize or sanction by law. le the reimportation re·im·port tr.v. re·im·port·ed, re·im·port·ing, re·im·ports To bring back into a country (goods made from its exported raw materials). re·im of prescription drugs prescription drug Prescription medication Pharmacology An FDA-approved drug which must, by federal law or regulation, be dispensed only pursuant to a prescription–eg, finished dose form and active ingredients subject to the provisos of the Federal Food, Drug, . AARP says that " ... safe and legal importation will help put downward pressure on prices and enable consumers to secure additional savings." Consumer Alert offered that there are no easy answers to the issue of the cost of prescription drugs in relation to importation issues, and easy "solutions," such as AARP's proposal for the implicit introduction of price controls for drugs, may have significant negative effects. In their efforts to "do something," short-sighted policy makers haven't addressed some of the critical longer-term issues, such as what are some of the longer-term effects of reimportation on consumers and their access to new drugs? What is the experience in other developed countries that have price-controls on prescription drugs--rationing, lack of access to new therapies? And how does the cost of medication compare with the cost and/or the risks of other alternatives, e.g., operations, transplants Transplants are an American punk rock/rap rock supergroup. They formed in 1999 when Tim Armstrong of the band Rancid played his friend and roadie Rob Aston some beats he had made using Pro Tools and asked Rob if he would consider contributing lyrics. , etc. for some life-threatening diseases? Quick fixes that do not address those issues could hurt consumers in the longrun, stated Consumer Alert. |
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