Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/952446
t m c » p u l s e | m a r c h 2 0 1 8 30 If drugmakers hit those thresholds, they'd be required to provide justifi- cation for the hikes, report their net profits associated with the drugs, and list expenses associated with the drugs including manufacturing, research and development, market- ing and advertising. Eliminate tactics that stifle generics New drug patents last for 20 years, at which point generics can com- pete, but experts say it's common for name brand drugmakers to try to block generic competition. One practice that has gained a great deal of attention is the "pay-for-delay" arrangement, in which a branded drug maker will pay a generic com- petitor not to compete, preventing lower-cost alternatives from enter- ing the market. The Federal Trade Commission says the practice costs consumers and taxpayers $2.5 bil- lion in higher drug costs annually. Mikhail, the former Eli Lilly exec- utive, said another tactic branded drugmakers use is to make a small variation to an existing drug—say, changing the chemical composition to allow it to be taken once a day instead of several times daily—in order to extend the patent. That pro- cess is known as "evergreening." "Rather than creating new medicines, pharmaceutical compa- nies are recycling and repurposing old ones," researchers from The University of California, Hastings College of the Law wrote in a paper last year that found 78 percent of drugs associated with new patents from 2005-2015 were actually exist- ing drugs. Other critics have pointed to another challenge facing generic drugmakers. If pharmaceutical companies have enough control of their distribution, they can keep generic manufacturers from obtaining enough pills to manufac- ture a competing product. This was one of the tactics used by Turing Pharmaceuticals to achieve a 5,000 percent increase in the price of the decades-old Daraprim, used to treat serious parasite infections. Today, there is wide, bipartisan support for legislation that would prevent the practice. What's next? If any reforms are to become reality, Kantarjian said, consumers need to become better advocates. But he acknowledges that's not easy, especially for patients with serious conditions like cancer, who don't have the time and resources to fight with Washington while simultane- ously fighting for their lives. That's where he thinks doctors should step in. He points to the Hippocratic oath, which states doc- tors will keep patients from harm and injustice. "High prices are harm and injustice," Kantarjian said. "[The oath] forces us to advocate for the patients, but you don't see too many doctors advocating." Dorn, of Families USA, said he's actually hopeful that reforms could be coming. He knows plenty of other advocates are skeptical, but he has seen other major reforms to the health care system enacted, such as the Children's Health Insurance Program and the Affordable Care Act, which were previously seen as unlikely. "I think people tend to under- estimate the fluidity of the policy environment in Washington," Dorn said. "You can't be Pollyannaish. But I've seen all kinds of things happen here that nobody thought was possible." Beth Wol! Ed Wol! Exceptional Service 40 Celebrating of years Transitional Style, Incredible Detail $1,995,000 Holley Madden Hilshire Village Each offi ce is independently owned and operated. 713-622-9339 bethwolff.com Upper Kirby Stunning Townhouse, Spacious Backyard $749,000 Cathi Lamberth Beautifully Updated, Hidden Retreat $1,150,000 Linda Ricca Tanglewood Area A! on Oaks Classic Traditional, Guest Suite Down $1,095,000 Nikki Simpson Spacious with Pool on Cul-de-sac $489,900 Roya Arfa Energy Corridor CEO Chairman I think we should attack the drug companies' continued refrain that whatever you do to them is going to stop innovation. — ARTHUR "TIM" GARSON JR., M.D. Director of the Health Policy Institute at the Texas Medical Center