Medicare Slashes Orphan Drug Reimbursements
Sunday August 31, 2003
The federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has instituted new reduced reimbursement rates for all but 4 orphan drugs, claiming that multi-use drugs like Botox don't need price breaks. Orphan drug pricing is a complex issue. But what about the people with rare disorders who need these medicines? It seems they have been left out of the discussion.
Comments
Dear Sir: Tedral, made by Parke-Davis, was taken off the market, as well as, the hundreds of other more effective asthma drugs to reduce competition among the existing asthma drugs on the market, as well as, to take off the market any drugs that lost it patents. The American Drug companies were deciding what drugs americans could have or not have!. They wanted Americans to pay for the most expensive drugs that had no competion. This is what deregulation has done for the pharmaceuticals companies. Vice President Bush had a extreme conflict of interest. He illegally lobbied on the behalf off Eli Lilly and other drug companies, in 1984, to reduce the tax liability of the drug companies in the Virgin Island. He, deregulation, took advantage of my good drug. The Supreme Court had to order him to stop. Tedral lost its patent in the 1950’s. It was allowed to dump its material stocks of medicine in the two years. My drug was priced at $20 for 100/pills in 1984. In less than 2 years, because of king Bush, Tedral sold for $85 for 100/pills. For a drug that was as cheap as asprine, that was on the market for 40 years,this had to be a crime. This sitution would be like paying $50 dollars for tap water.
Even in Pakistan, tedral was driven off the market onto the black market. The drug companies were acting like the drug cartels or the oil cartel. They are behaving like the mob in Pakistan. Deregulation is killing health care. Drug companies are looking for monopolies to reduce competion in the third world to price gouge their poor economies among the selected drugs that are still on patent to keep their profit margins high. All asthma drugs have failed me. I will lose 20 years of my life so some one can retire on 94 million dollars,.
I have a rare lung diease called Youngs Syndrome. It is like Cystic Fibrosis. Instesd of dying before my 15th birthday, My life would be dragged out painfully over the years to my bitter end. But Tedral in 1969 gave me hope. After a long hospital stay from illness, Tedral gave me life: A life I would never have had! I got to work. I got to play. I got to live life as a whore from the dust of the earth
Ever since Nancy Reagen’s blanked statement: just say-NO. America as lost its mind. People
say no to everything. Society gives no thought to anything! America’s imperialism as turned inward, only to devour oneself. The silence of greed has blinded this nations heart and its soul! I am a man deprived of my greatness because I can not have- $20 dollars worth of asthma drugs. I am Superman cast down. Bound by my own genetic sins. The sins of the father have slain me. The breath of life has become my prisoner. Of my greater self I am no more. Without Tedral, I am consumed by the night! Angels, weep not for me! Selah