Harvard Study Finally Admits Drug Prices Are High Because Govt Grants Big Pharma A Monopoly

[procon]

1. Its public health vs corporate wealth... guess who wins?

The influence of the drug and medical device industries is directly aimed at funding the FDA by paying the agency gobs of cash right up front for an FDA review of their products, as opposed to funding the agency through the U.S. Treasury. These "user fees" are quid pro quo and by law, it's all perfectly legal because Congress does not want to fully fund the FDA. Neither do our brave congress critters want to get tangled up in a conflict of interest between the huge sums of money they take from industry lobbyists and pro-consumer health watchdog groups. On the side, the industry gets a few other perks, like enlisting the authority of the FDA to discourage, or ban, cheaper competitive products that could bite into the profits from the approved drugs.

Free Market my ass.