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medpundit |
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Friday, July 12, 2002The generic drug bill would amend a 1984 law designed to speed generic drugs to the market. Lawmakers and consumer advocates have long contended that drug companies have abused patent laws to prevent consumers from getting lower-cost generics. The bill attempts to stop abuses of an automatic 30-month delay that the maker of a brand-name drug gets when it files suit to stop a generic from entering the market. Many companies have filed repeated suits to win continuous delays, prompting complaints from lawmakers. Under the committee's bill, a brand-name drug maker would be limited to one 30-month stay per generic application. It's a small step to make sure that generic versions of drugs are available as soon as they can be without infringing on legitimate patents. And Doing Their Best to Defeat Those Efforts: On the same day, the same Senate committee voted to require insurance companies to pay for colonoscopies. I’m all for colonoscopies. They’re the best way to find colon polyps and prevent colon cancer, and at current prices ($600-$800), they are considered cost effective, but requiring insurance companies to cover them (or any procedure for that matter) only drives up insurance premiums. posted by Sydney on 7/12/2002 05:33:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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