Recommendation 1: Allowing temporary Importation of Prescription Drugs
Allowing temporary importation of prescription drugs during sudden increase in prices from countries that follow drug safety standards similar to the United States will help to reduce prices. Temporary importation of prescription drugs have to be designed carefully, should be a response to a market failure, and not aimed at imposing price controls.
Importation of prescription drugs will bring price relief to overburdened seniors. However, importation is good; care and caution have to be taken in order to avoid unintended consequences in the end. There are principles to consider while importing prescription drugs, these include the Food and Drug Administration FDA should
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Allowing importation of patented drugs or statutory exclusivity in the case of price increases this will undermine the patent and the statutory exclusivity system thus making it impossible.
Any importation of prescription drug has to be temporary and with an expiry date, lasting until the uncompetitive practice that led to hiking prices in the US has ceased. The US drug market unlike the ones abroad its very different. If importation without strict controls and time limits are allowed; it will undercut the market and the result will be less innovative products.
Lastly, any importation of drugs into the US should have to preserve quality control. Many countries pharmaceuticals industries standards are lax while others are stringent and comparable to the US. In case of shortages, the FDA allows importation from those countries with strict regulatory controls for example Canada where the prices of prescription drugs are lower than the US.
Recommendation 2: Increase Transparency in the Health care
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The distribution network from the manufacturer to the consumer is also not transparent. The drug manufacturer does not have to be the pharmaceutical drug company with the rights over a drug, and neither of the two has to be the distributor. There is a long chain of intermediaries before the drug reaches the consumer. They have concealed identities and they create barriers to prevent new entrants into the market. The role of key players in the supply chain is not transparent. The Pharmacy Benefits Manager’s role is to secure a good deal for the consumers by negotiating prices with hospitals, employers and the pharmaceutical industries. More light needs to be shed as whom the beneficiaries of the services offered by the Pharmacy Benefits Manager and how much they charge in the
In order to sustain the market share in this highly competitive industry, the pharmacies have to establish and maintain strong working relationships with PBMs that have power to divest particular clients from a pharmacy by denying reimbursement privileges to their customers. Buyer Power Strong It is not hard to obtain the same drugs from different sources, so the customer loyalty is virtually non-existent and the pharmacies have to try extremely hard to sustain their consumer base. Threats of substitutes Weak There are very few alternatives to drugs. Alternatives are practically limited to traditional medicine.
In general the drug manufacturing industry is very risky. In order companies to stay in business they need to research and develop new products. Firstly companies need to develop new compounds, however only one on every ten thousand compounds becomes approved and it takes years to do this. Then only 3 out of 20 drugs make enough revenue to cover their development cost and only 1 out of every 3 drugs generates enough money to cover the costs of previously failed drugs.
In some instances, the pharmaceutical industry in the United States misleads both the public and medical professionals by participating in acts of both deceptive marketing practices and bribery, and therefore does not act within the best interests of the consumers. In America today, many people are in need of medical help. In fact,the Federal Trade Commission estimates that 75% of the population complain of physical problems (Federal Trade Commission 9). They complain, for example, of fatigue, colds, headaches, and countless other "ailments." When these symptoms strike, 65% purchase over-the-counter, or OTC, drugs.
The United States of America accounts for only 5% of the world’s population, yet as a nation, we devour over 50% of the world’s pharmaceutical medication and around 80% of the world’s prescription narcotics (American Addict). The increasing demand for prescription medication in America has evoked a national health crisis in which the government and big business benefit at the expense of the American public.
More than often, American’s argue that if we have the technology to gain access to these “miracle meds”, then we should take advantage of it. To receive an opposing view, the National Institute of Drug Abuse asked teens around America why they think prescription drugs are overused, and the results were shocking; 62%: “Easy to get from parent's medicine cabinets”, 51%: “They are not illegal drugs”, 49%: “Can claim to have prescription if caught”, 43%: “They are cheap”, 35%: “Safer to use than illegal drugs”, 33%: “Less shame attached to using”, 32%: “Fewer side effects than street drugs”, 25%: “Can be used as study aids”, and 21%: “Parents don't care as much if caught”. I believe the major problem here isn’t the medication, but instead the fact that our nation is extremely uninformed on the “do’s and dont’s” of prescription medication. When “the United States is 5 percent of the world’s population and consumes 75 percent of the the world's prescription drugs” (CDC), there is a problem present, no matter the reason. Clearly, many critics believe the breathtaking amount of pills we consume in America is simply for the better good, but tend to forget the effects that are soon to follow.
In the business of drug production over the years, there have been astronomical gains in the technology of pharmaceutical drugs. More and more drugs are being made for diseases and viruses each day, and there are many more drugs still undergoing research and testing. These "miracle" drugs are expensive, however, and many Americans cannot afford these prices.
Almost everybody on Long Island, and probably all around the world, has been prescribed a drug by a doctor before— whether it was to knock out a nasty virus, or relieve pain post injury or surgery. However, what many people don’t realize is that these drugs can have highly addictive qualities, and more and more people are becoming hooked, specifically teenagers. But when does harmlessly taking a prescription drug to alleviate pain take the turn into the downward spiral of abuse? The answer to that question would be when the user begins taking the drug for the “high” or good feelings brought along with it—certainly not what it was prescribed for (1). The amount of teens that abuse prescription medications has been rapidly increasing in recent
Patients who struggle to pay for their medication, struggle with life. The Pharmaceutical Industry( Big Pharma) makes the important name brand drugs expensive, they are forcing people to take the medication, and they are also forcing them to refill the prescriptions even if they don’t need them; every pill counts! The cost of medication from 2009 to 2016 has increased by 400%. The Tactics of Big Pharma have been found to be wrong by many people and their own companies. Insurance companies are paying for patients’ over priced medications, sometimes the insurance doesn’t even cover it because it is so overpriced. The pharmaceutical company should start applying new drugs that are less expensive, than taking money for themselves. Big Pharma
This assignment will discuss the professional, legal and ethical issues related to the self-use of medication by nurses. It will also explore the importance of reporting this misconduct by both professionals in the scenario and how they might do so. The self-use of medication by nurses is not allowed or justifiable according to the guidance provided to nurses by An Bord Altranais (ABA 2007). It will also be evident throughout this assignment the need for Jack to report Linda’s self-use of the medication or urge Linda to do so regardless of the consequences it may present to both him and Linda as according to Nurses and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI 2013), nurses can now be held responsible for not taking action. This is because delivering the greatest level of care to a patient is an essential role of a nurse and the main focus of the nurse’s work should be on caring for that patient (ABA 2010). There is also an ethical duty upon both nurses to report the misconduct according to the four ethical principles; Beneficence, non-maleficence, justice and autonomy (Edwards 2009).
This means that medicines are ambiguous resulting in complex health policy. This leaves the citizens of US in dark due to increasing high cost and unknown of the pricing schedules. This leaves US in high percentage of increasing frauds daily. Citizens do not know what exactly is the cost of procedures; medicines and treatments, what the physician and the pharmacist ask they pay just to secure their life. This in return makes the chances of fraud type vulnerable act increased. On the other hand, patient trust on the doctor’s for the payment and is not even aware where the money is been used. This also increases the chance of fraud in US(Fisher,
"Reducing Demand for Drugs." UN General Assembly Special Session on the World Drug Problem. May 1998. Web. 02 Mar. 2011. .
In recent years’ health reform has been a driving force in the United States political system. If you watch the news, you will understand how citizens, the government, or the economy are or might be affected by some sort of change in medical regulation. One of these hot topic issues is the cost of prescription drugs. Every major drug market besides the United States regulates the price of drugs in some way (Abbott and Vernon). By the United States not doing so, many believe it opens consumers up to being exploited by large pharmaceutical companies.
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the dangers of prescription drugs when not taken as prescribed by your physician or pharmacist.
In addition to this, pharmaceutical companies can also regulate the price of the drug as they will be the only company selling that drug. However, these aspects of patents can adversely affect the generics industry. The generics industry cannot make or sell drugs that are patented but once a patent licence expires, both the generics industry and the WHO see increased benefits as drugs become more widely available around the world (i.e. developing countries) at a lower price. Here we will discuss the pros and cons of patents from the point of view of the pharmaceutical industry, the generics industry and the WHO. As we said above, patents grant exclusive rights to an invention or a process of making and invention.
The use of illegal drugs in the United States and other countries around the world is one of the biggest problems in today community. Illegal drugs are drugs that are restricted by the government. Moreover, some medical drugs have chemicals that can help people with pain and stress. But when people are under the influence of illicit drugs, they can experience many side effects such as: liver cancer, heart, and brain disease. Illegal drugs are being used by many types of people around the world; they cost a large amount of money and negatively affect people both psychologically and physically.