[Ip-health] Senator Bernie Sanders website on the Medical Innovation Act of 2007

Manon Ress manon.ress@keionline.org
Fri Oct 19 17:55:04 2007


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Senator Bernie Sanders

The Week in Review  -- 10/19/2007
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/news/record.cfm?id=3D285739

Prescription Drugs Legislation was introduced by Sanders on Friday
that would eliminate market exclusivity for new drugs, but give
developers large cash rewards from a "Medical Innovation Prize Fund"
when products improved health outcomes.  By eliminating monopolies
and allowing generic competition, prices on drugs would fall
dramatically, saving taxpayers, employers and consumers more than
$200 billion per year. Under the proposal, the current patent system
would still be used, but patent owners would no longer be given
monopoly rights to control the manufacturing and sale of products.
Instead, patents would be used to establish who "owns" the right to
the cash rewards given for new inventions.  Drugs developed without
patents would also be eligible for the prizes. =93As health-care costs
continue to spiral, our nation must focus debate on why prescription
drugs cost so much. Unfortunately, Congress has never delved into why
the process that brings new drugs to market is so insanely expensive,
inefficient, and ineffective. Senator Sanders=92 bill, 'The Medical
Innovation Prize Act of 2007,' could at long last begin that debate,=94
said Bill Vaughan of Consumers Union. To read what other experts have
to say about the bill, click here:
http://www.keionline.org/index.php?
option=3Dcom_content&task=3Dview&id=3D150&Itemid=3D1













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Manon Anne Ress
manon.ress@keionline.org,

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Il vaut mieux remuer une question, sans la d=E9cider, que la d=E9cider,
sans la remuer.
Pens=E9es, essais, maximes et correspondance de J. Joubert  p.249
http://visualiseur.bnf.fr/Visualiseur?Destination=3DGallica&O=3DNUMM-88671
Translation: It is better to debate a question without settling it
than to settle a question without debating it