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Update 5/17/2018: The FDA has now launched the website listing the names of brand name drugs and their makers who have stood in the way of generic drug companies trying to make more affordable alternatives. You can view the list here. It includes notable medications, such as Accutane (for acne), Methadone (used for opioid dependency), and Tracleer (to treat high blood pressure in the lungs). The brand name drug makers to be shamed includes big hitters such as Celgene Corp, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Gilead Sciences Inc, and Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, now a Johnson & Johnson company. Our original story, published May 16, is unedited below.
The Food and Drug Administration plans this week to effectively begin publicly shaming brand-name drug companies that stand in the way of competitors trying to develop cheaper generic drugs.
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told reporters on Monday and Tuesday that the agency will unveil a website on Thursday, May 17 that names names of such companies. More specifically, the website will publicly reveal the identity of 50 branded drugs and their makers that have blocked generic development. The website will also be updated "on a continuous basis" to list additional names.
In fielding questions from reporters, Gottlieb denied that the effort was a form of public shaming. "I don't think this is publicly shaming," Gottlieb said, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. "I think this is providing transparency in situations where we see certain obstacles to timely generic entry."
(Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 20 2018, @03:27AM (2 children)
There is a drug called colchicine. It was originally derived from the autumn crocus plant, and among other uses helps against acute gout attacks. The plant has been used against gout at least since the first century AD.
As a commonly used drug even in the USA before the creation of the FDA, it was considered by the FDA as "unapproved", meaning since everyone since the goddamn Roman Empire knew it worked, no one had paid to have studies done to prove it worked. So in 2009 the FDA agreed with a company called URL Pharma that they would do the tests and the FDA would grant them a patent for the drug. The previous generic version was sold for $0.09 per tablet; the FDA banned all generic versions and the now monopoly URL Pharma raised the price per tablet to $4.85 and now calls it Colcrys.
If you don't believe this, just consult the Wikipedia entry for colchicine.
For the FDA to try to lay the blame on pharmacy companies for doing what in many circumstances the FDA is directly enabling them to do, is gall on the level that only U.S. politics can achieve.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Sunday May 20 2018, @04:33AM
Blame it on a previous administration, we're cleaning house this term (said every new administration ever.)
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday May 20 2018, @05:39AM
This could be the part of it that seeks to maintain the status quo. The pharma companies better not complain about being put in the spotlight, because if they complain too much, people might figure out that the only reason why prices can raise so high is because of the monopoly status you identified.
So, if the pharma companies respond by lowering their prices, they can keep their monopolies and continue to price gouge, just at a level that's a little less obscene.
The only people who will continue to object to the situation is <sarcasm>just those crazy libertarians who think we should have a system of contracts and ancaps who merely want to reduce government regulation and overreach</sarcasm>.
Everybody else is perfectly happy with having a command economy for pharmaceuticals, <sarcasm>because that's not OMG socialism! if the economy is being commanded by transnational corporations</sarcasm>.