[Med-privacy] Re: [Ip-health] RFID Labels On Prescription Drug Bottles

[Jeff Williams]

Kevin and all,

  Price discrimination is a good thing when applied independently as
it can spur price competition.  However as the cost of RFID tags
add cost to the consumer, although slightly as currently reported,
I cannot see that RFID tags will unlikely be used to reduce cost
to consumers, but rather aid in determining what drug families
and/or types are most broadly used/consumed, and as such change
or otherwise tend to adjust the Big Pharma industries production
emphasis...  This may or may not be in the best overall interest
of the public health...

Kevin Outterson wrote:

> RFID tags will permit pharmaceutical companies to monitor their supply
> chains from their factories to the consumer.  This will enable even more
> dramatic market segmentation and price discrimination by the companies.
> Whether stronger pharmaceutical price discrimination is a good idea is
> an open question.
>
> Kevin Outterson
>
> Associate Professor of Law
> West Virginia University
> 304 293 8282
> kevin.outterson@mail.wvu.edu
> LL.M. (Cantab.)
> J.D. (Northwestern)
> SSRN Author Page:  ssrn.com/author=340746
>
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> >>> Jeff Williams <jwkckid1@ix.netcom.com> 18/11/04 8:16 >>>
> All,
>
>  As if perscription drugs were not already overpriced...
>
> and
>
>   Could this be an unecessary intrusion into a persons medical
> privacy?  Seems to me anyway that such is at least a possibility...
>
>  FYI,
> "The New York Times is reporting that the Food and Drug
> Administration and several major drug makers are expected to announce an
>
> agreement Monday to put [1]tiny radio antennas on the labels of millions
>
> of medicine bottles to combat counterfeiting and fraud. RFID labels
> provide a unique identifier that is almost impossible to copy. When
> pharmacists receive delivery, they should be able to pass a wand over
> the
> bottles and, through an online database, check the history of each. Each
>
> label costs 20 to 50 cents."
>
> See:  http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/15/health/15drug.html
>
> Regards,
> --
> Jeffrey A. Williams
> Spokesman for INEGroup LLA. - (Over 134k members/stakeholders strong!)
> "Be precise in the use of words and expect precision from others" -
>     Pierre Abelard
>
> "If the probability be called P; the injury, L; and the burden, B;
> liability depends upon whether B is less than L multiplied by
> P: i.e., whether B is less than PL."
> United States v. Carroll Towing  (159 F.2d 169 [2d Cir. 1947]
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Regards,

--
Jeffrey A. Williams
Spokesman for INEGroup LLA. - (Over 134k members/stakeholders strong!)
"Be precise in the use of words and expect precision from others" -
    Pierre Abelard

"If the probability be called P; the injury, L; and the burden, B;
liability depends upon whether B is less than L multiplied by
P: i.e., whether B is less than PL."
United States v. Carroll Towing  (159 F.2d 169 [2d Cir. 1947]
===============================================================
Updated 1/26/04
CSO/DIR. Internet Network Eng. SR. Eng. Network data security
IDNS. div. of Information Network Eng.  INEG. INC.
E-Mail jwkckid1@ix.netcom.com
 Registered Email addr with the USPS
Contact Number: 214-244-4827