# MAINE REVOLTS Against High Price Of Drugs



## Mike NoLomotil (Jun 6, 2000)

MAIN REVOLTS AGAINST THE HIGH PRICE OF PILLSSeptember 04, 2000New Englanders are a rebellious lot. After all, they kicked off the American revolution in 1773 by dumping a shipment of tea into Boston Harbor. A new revolution may have just started in New England, and the pharmaceutical industry doesn't like it one bit. Legislation passed in the Maine State House took effect recently, and drug companies are worried. Under Maine's new "Act to Establish Fairer Pricing for Prescription Drugs," the state negotiates discounts for its 325,000 residents with no prescription-drug coverage. Perhaps it helps that Maine is close to Canada. Everyone there knows that people across the border pay much less for identical medicines. Legislators reacting to the skyrocketing cost of medicines for the most vulnerable -ï¿½ the poor and the elderly -ï¿½ set up penalties for drug manufacturers that don't toe the line. Companies guilty of profiteering may find that doctors need the state's permission before prescribing their medicines for Medicaid recipients. The ultimate threat, price controls, could be imposed if prescription drug costs are not lower by 2003. Other states around the country have taken note of Maine's action and may also consider measures to offer relief to those overwhelmed by prescription prices. The pharmaceutical industry is feeling threatened. Claiming that Maine's legislation is unconstitutional because it restricts interstate trade, an industry organization, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), has filed suit. It remains to be seen how the legal battle will play out. Drug companies insist that they want to "put patients first." But with double-digit profits year after year, you can't blame anyone who wonders whether the stockholders aren't really receiving priority. Our readers have been telling us for a long time that their life-saving medicines are no longer affordable. One man reported that his wife's bladder medicine cost over $170 a month while his blood pressure and cholesterol pills run over $150. A kidney transplant recipient wrote that one of her critical medicines cost $1,800 per month. Another reader complained: "I have a rare kind of cancer. My doctor prescribed medicine that costs $2,400.00. I almost passed out when I heard the price. Do the drug companies think we consumers are made of gold? How do people buy medicines that can cost $2,400.00 for a course of treatment? I make around $20,000.00 per year and can't afford such high-priced medications." Unlike tea, pricey pills can't be dumped into the harbor as a protest. But people who would like to let the pharmaceutical industry know they are upset can send empty pill bottles with a message to Alan Holmer, President and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America; 1100 Fifteenth Street, NW; Washington DC 20005. The nation will be watching Maine to see whether its attempt to provide prescriptions at fair prices to uninsured citizens will provide much needed relief. If drug companies, like King George, attempt to punish Maine as he punished Boston, the outcome could be equally revolutionary. ______________________Well It's a Start..MNL______________________ www.leapallergy.com


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