Merrill Matthews

The transition from brand name biologics to generic versions, or biosimilars, has raised several questions about what steps are needed to ensure the new generic drugs are as safe and effective as the originals. Six experts respond with their comments and concerns about how best to protect patients.

Understanding the role and purpose of the Tenth Amendment is absolutely critical to maintaining the kind of government and country the Founding Fathers intended.

What does it mean for a health care system to be considered “ethical”? Some claim the most ethical is a government-run system that guarantees universal coverage. Others think the system must control costs, or eliminate profits, or ration care to those most in need. But a consumer driven health care system is the one that best meets the criteria Americans want from an ethical health care system.

Legislators need to be prudent stewards of taxpayer dollars, but they must also ensure that vulnerable populations receive appropriate care. This Desktop Reference will help state legislators identify effective actions that may save the state money without reducing access to needed medicines. Topics include Medicaid restrictive formularies, importation/reimportation, purchasing coalitions, drug price controls, tort reform, counterfeit drugs, and direct-to-consumer advertising.

Politicians are once again flirting with price controls. A price is a powerful conveyor of information to both buyers and sellers. Most companies engage in "differential pricing," so that low-income people have access to their products. But price controls actually hurt low-income people because they keep prices artificially high, plus they stifle competition and destroy innovation.

The 20th century saw the trial and error of a philosophy that privately-owned economic goods did not benefit the general public. However, the 21st century has begun with a new twist: Is the public harmed by private ownership of intellectual property goods? Fortunately, earlier and wiser voices were insightful enough to include intellectual property protection in some of the basic documents that the world looks to as pillars of civil society.

Legislators need to be prudent stewards of taxpayer dollars, but they must also ensure that vulnerable populations receive appropriate care. This Desktop Reference will help state legislators identify effective actions that may save the state money without reducing access to needed medicines. Topics include Medicare drug discount cards, Medicaid restrictive formularies, importation/reimportation, purchasing coalitions, drug price controls, tort reform, and direct-to-consumer advertising

Dr. Mark McClellan, former commissioner of the FDA, has claimed that other countries are not paying their fair share of pharmaceutical R&D costs. A look at the data shows that Dr. McClellan was right. Most OECD countries pay significantly less for drugs than do U.S. consumers, even when accounting for the difference in purchasing power. If other countries want to reinvigorate their pharmaceutical R&D sectors, they have to be willing to relax their price controls and let markets work.

Legislators need to be prudent stewards of taxpayer dollars, but they must also ensure that vulnerable populations receive appropriate care. This Desktop Reference will help state legislators identify effective actions that may save the state money without reducing access to needed medicines.