Two weeks ago, the Bush administration opened the door a crack to allowing some poor countries to make or import generic anti-HIV drugs. Finally! It isn’t what’s needed – a much-expedited FDA stamp of approval is still required – but it’s a start.
The administration’s prior arguments about questionable quality and safety were bogus – and labeled as such by Doctors Without Borders – because the drugs are already vetted by the World Health Organization. Bush’s real agenda is protecting the profits of Big Pharma, major donors to Bush and the GOP.
With foreign generic-drug makers, the Clinton Foundation has negotiated a price of $140 per year, per patient. Without major assistance, that still may be unaffordable for the poorest nations, which annually spend under $2 on health care per person.
“If world access to generic drugs isn’t really going to cost Big Pharma much in lost profits (since sales are zilch), why do they oppose easing patent restrictions?” one might ask. Two reasons immediately surface.
First, Bush’s ballyhooed $15 billion five-year “global AIDS initiative” was significantly intended to be a profitable cash cow for Big Pharma. Having generic drug access interferes with that.
Second (and perhaps more important), major drug manufacturers don’t want the issue of drug pricing to land on the front burner, especially at election time. If the American public (and especially our seniors) see too graphically how they are being milked, Congress may be forced to act on drug pricing. One wouldn’t expect European-style price controls to result, but any action toward fairer pricing could still be against Big Pharma’s interests.
This article appears in May 28 • 2004.