On 7/15/2011 3:17 PM, Stephen Senn wrote:
> Part of the problem with banning me-toos as clinical trials is that
> unless you know what the result will be you don't know what will be a
> me-too. Also, it is often a matter of degree: since we have
> diuretics, are beta-blockers a me-too? Since we have beta-blockers
> are ACE inhibitors a me-too?
An excellent point but there is an even more fundamental point. In a
truly open market, the existence of multiple vendors will drive prices
down. Ignoring the possibility that the me-too is better from a
perspective of fewer side effects, the only way to succeed in an open
market with a me-too drug that is "often 10-30 times more expensive" (to
quote Jeremy Howick) is if someone was being paid off behind the scenes.
It's those payoffs and not the me-too drugs that are the problem.
Steve Simon, [log in to unmask], Standard Disclaimer.
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