March 12, 2008
THE NEW DAVID MAMET COULD HAVE PREDICTED THIS:
Drug Firms Woo Democrats, Helping Defeat Their Bills (Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, 3/12/08, Washington Post)
The pharmaceutical industry, long an ally of Republicans, has increasingly worked itself into the good graces of the Democratic Party and by doing so has helped block the Democrats' top prescription-drug initiatives.Posted by Orrin Judd at March 12, 2008 10:15 AMIn the year since they took over on Capitol Hill, Democratic leaders have been unable to pass either a bill allowing reimportation of drugs from Canada or a measure requiring negotiation of drug prices under Medicare. Neither is likely to reach the president's desk this year. Lawmakers on both sides of these issues say the primary reason is the influence, now redirected, of the drug lobby.
I hope these same lobbyists will do all they can to keep those new WalMart and Walgreens clinics operating. Those places need time to work out their business model, and to show us how healthcare can be properly priced.
Posted by: Brad S at March 12, 2008 11:40 AMAn intelligent industry group works both sides of the aisle; as opposed to unions, who seem to be mired in 1937.
Posted by: Mikey at March 12, 2008 4:28 PMWith the exception of Merck (which dipped after the Vioxx problems began but has since recovered), most drug company stock has tanked over the past 3 or 4 years. Here's one reason why.
Posted by: ratbert at March 12, 2008 9:17 PM** Lawmakers on both sides of these issues say the primary reason is the influence, now redirected, of the drug lobby. **
Everything will be different...
Posted by: Kevin Whited at March 12, 2008 9:54 PM