[Ip-health] McCain's views on reimportation/generic biotech drugs etc.

[Sarah Rimmington]

McCain adviser sees drug import challenges
Reuters
Monday July 14 2008
By Lisa Richwine
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/7651831

WASHINGTON, July 14 (Reuters) - Finding a way to safely let U.S.
patients buy cheaper medicines from other countries will pose a
challenge for the next president and Congress, a health adviser to
Republican presidential candidate John McCain told Reuters on Monday.

"I won't say that it can't be done, but it obviously is going to be a
challenge," Gail Wilensky, an economist and adviser to McCain, said in
an interview.

McCain advocates importation as a way to lower drug prices, as does his
Democratic rival, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. Drugmakers including
Pfizer Inc , GlaxoSmithKline Plc and others strongly oppose the
practice, arguing it could expose patients to unsafe drugs.

Lawmakers in both parties have supported importation in recent years,
but the administrations of Democratic and Republican presidents have
said they could not guarantee the drugs would be safe.

The recent deaths of patients given tainted supplies of the
blood-thinner heparin made in China highlight the difficulty in ensuring
safety measures are followed along the supply chain, Wilensky said.

The incident "is a reminder it is hard to have the same kind of
oversight in production overseas," said Wilensky, a senior fellow at
Project Hope, a health education foundation.

Critics say drugmakers are fighting importation to protect their ability
to charge higher prices in the United States, which does not have the
price controls of some other nations.

Importation likely would average out the cost of medicines by lowering
U.S. prices and raising them in other countries, Wilensky said.

"The issue will be making sure people are comfortable with being able to
meet the safety needs," she said, adding that details will need to pass
muster with Congress.

McCain, an Arizona senator, also wants to promote use of generic drugs,
including generic versions of costly biotech medicines, Wilensky said.
Democrats also back expanded use of the cheaper, copycat drugs.

On broad health-care reform, McCain proposes eliminating tax breaks for
employers that provide it and instead giving families a $5,000 tax
credit to buy their own policies. That approach likely would face
resistance from the Democrats expected to retain control of Congress.

A core of McCain's plan is to change spending habits as families rather
than their employers gain more control over health-care costs, Wilensky
said.

"There is a clear recognition that slowing down spending and getting
better value for your money is a very important part of health-care
reform," Wilenksy said. (Reporting by Lisa Richwine; editing by Tim
Dobbyn and Carol Bishopric)

--
Sarah Rimmington
Attorney
Essential Action, Access to Medicines Project
Washington, DC
Tel: (202) 387-8030
Cell: (202) 422-2687
www.essentialaction.org/access/