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WV DRUG AGENCY PUT OUT OF MISERY - Payola Alive And Well |
| (07/07/2009) |
| By Bob Weaver Not long ago Charleston made substantial announcements and appeared to take action to help West Virginians with the high cost of prescription drugs. The worthless WV Pharmaceutical Cost Management Council and legislators dallied with the drug companies, issuing smoke and mirror statements and projects. They even let the drug outfits set-up some kind of web site that was supposed to help state citizens, in lieu of actually negotiating costs. Thankfully, the agency is being put out of the "lets pretend" business, after voting to hide the names of 15,000 state physicians who received payola in 2008 from the drug companies. The long-held system induces physicians to prescribe high-priced brands. Some state physicians have refused the inducements, but many got $10,000-$20,000 annually. Five physicians, according to a report, received $100,000 each. One state physician received $125,000, after making international talks promoting a specific brand. America is apparently the only nation that allows drug companies to shower physicians with gifts. "They realize it works and they're not going to stop it as long as it's legal," said State Senator Dan Foster, who is also a physician who opposes the tactic. He acknowledged there is some legitimate practices, like giving samples for low-income families. Not only has WV's state government bowed to the drug interests, so has the federal government. George Bush's biggest socialism event was to create a Medicare prescription program that pays full-price to the drug outfits. No effort was made to follow free market principals and negotiate lower prices from what is now their biggest customer.
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