Pfizer Public Policy: Price Controls

[The Straight Story]

Pfizer Public Policy: Price Controls

In the United States, the prices of medications are determined by market forces, as is the case for almost all other products sold here. The primary reason drugs may be less expensive when purchased outside the U.S. is that many countries impose price controls, which typically means that a country's government sets the price below the market price for the drug. Price controls are undesirable for a number of reasons, most notably their negative effects on the incentives to conduct research and development of new medicines.
Key Points

* Price controls inhibit medical research and innovation.
* Price controls lead to increased waiting times for medicines or a lack of availability of medicines in price controlled countries.

The bulk of new medicines have come from research and development (R&D) efforts in the United States. Chart 1 shows the dominant role played by the U.S. in developing new medicines when viewed as a percentage of all pharmaceutical patents in Europe. Comparing two 10-year time periods - 1988-1997 with 1978-1987 - it is clear that innovation is shifting to the U.S. from other nations.

Price controls have dampened overall global pharmaceutical R&D efforts. A study by the U.S. Dept of Commerce, which was published in December 2004, found that price controls imposed by OECD countries in the study reduce global R&D expenditures by $5 billion to $8 billion annually (the equivalent of 11 to 16 percent of annual private worldwide pharmaceutical R&D).1

The study concludes that eliminating price controls, and thus the R&D reduction they cause, could result in the introduction of three or four additional new drugs per year (above and beyond the current average of 30 drugs per year).


The study noted that if such price controls were eliminated, U.S. consumers would benefit from an increased flow of new drugs, valued at about $5 to $7 billion per year.

Price controls may harm patients' ability to access new medicines. Patricia Danzon, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, found that patients in price controlled countries wait many months for new drugs to be adopted.

http://www.pfizer.com/about/public_policy/price_controls.jsp

[TwilightGardener]

1. Let's try price controls, and see if Pfizer's right, shall we?

OH NOES!! SOSHULISM!!!1!1!

[BeatleBoot]

2. Joe Lieberman: A Consultant to Pfizer

Plus Pfizer was recently named one of the top ten worst run companies.


Viva Viagra!

[Raineyb]

3. Unfortunately, it's been being run by fuckwits for awhile now.

Of course THEY aren't the ones who pay for it. The CEO fucks up majorly, they pay him millions to go away and lay off the line workers instead.