Friday, September 24, 2010

Obama Death Panel By Any Other Name ...

... is still a Death Panel.


Avastin is a FDA approved drug used to fight several types of cancer, including colon, lung, and breast cancers. The FDA approved the drug for use in February of 2004. From what little I know of the drug itself, it works in some cases, providing doctors with another tool with which to fight this terrible disease.

Avastin is expensive. It costs $7700 wholesale per dose. Patients and insurance companies typically pay about $8000 per dose. Having a family member involved with cancer treatments, I can vouch for how expensive it is - no matter what medicines are used. Outrageously expensive? Sure seems so if you're paying for it. Sure doesn't if you are selling it.

Drug companies spend millions upon millions of dollars developing new drugs. Only a fraction of those drugs turn out to be effective and are approved for market by the FDA. In the case of cancer drugs, there is a limited number of doses that can be sold (because, thank God, the market is limited). So, if you are a drug company who has to make a profit to remain in business, you have expensive development, high overhead, and a small number of sales - you have to charge out the wazoo to recover expenses and make a profit.

The FDA has announced that it is delaying a decision on the drug 90 days, until after the mid-term election. This drug, which has been in use in cancer treatment centers for 6 years, is subject to rationing or out and out withdrawl from the market, depending upon the FDA's ruling. What's the issue, you ask?

Obama's FDA has determined that the drug costs too much for it to be made available to cancer patients.

That's right ...

Obama's cronies are going to decide whether or not people are worthy of spending money on for treatment of this disease. If the FDA rules completely against the drug, it is pulled from the market, and no patient can benefit from it. If it is rationed, a government agency is going to decide who amongst us are worthy of receiving the potentially life saving drug.

Why did the FDA postpone the decision? Pure politics ... they don't want to rule against the drug and have it become a campaign issue, where outraged voters would have one more reason to kick these slimeballs out of Washington. They'll wait until after the election, so no matter what they decide, the voters will have no recourse.

This is going to be very interesting to watch play out. If the FDA does what it intends to do, it will set a precedent that is a key to Obamacare - the government's right to decide who gets healthcare.

Death Panels ... a reality under Obamacare, already starting to happen.

5 comments:

Scott McCray said...

“Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
-Lord Acton

Those of us that saw the likelihood of things like death panels by any other name were accused of wearing "tinfoil hats" - seems we were right. Imagine that.

Anonymous said...

67, there are few people in this country that understand why these drugs are so expensive. Kudos for the post, very nicely written! These are the issues with the Healthcare Reform that kill me! (Pardon the pun.) Those without that understanding are willing to side with the village idiots who think this is the healthcare reform we need.

Scott, well said, I love the quote. So, the real question becomes, will all of us who clearly saw the handwriting on the wall join together in a united front that can illicit change, the kind we really need? Can those who love our country as opposed to those who love power, step up and gain the support needed to rise to a position to make those changes? Aren’t we all talk and no action? If not then how is it that the idiocracy becomes the majority in vote?

Margot said...

What luck for rulers that men do not think - Adolph Hitler.

Unfortunately this seems to apply.

Scott McCray said...

AP80 -
Well, remembering the the boxes - "We have four boxes with which to defend our freedom: the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box", I think we are going about it the right way. As bloggers, we are exercising the the use of the soap box - this alternative media gives a lot of folks a platform previously unavailable...

As the voting public, we have an ongoing opportunity to exercise the second box - the key is to not let apathy and despair overtake us. The next opportunity is just a little over 35 days away. Go Vote!

The third box has been well used - witness Heller and McDonald. We are fortunate to have folks like Mssrs. Gura and Gottleib working on the side of right. (Not to be totally 2a-centric, but those wins are top of mind).

The final box is one we hope to never use other than by virtue of "An armed society is a polite society."

Anonymous said...

Touché Mr. McCray, lol.

Indeed let not apathy and despair overtake us, go vote!