Another Interesting Flu Vaccine Fast, & why we outsource it...

[brianl703]

Did anyone look at the URL I posted?

Here's an excerpt, notice the date.

Daily Policy Digest

Health Issues / Moving Toward Universal Coverage

Monday, August 18, 2003

Everyone knows America's vaccine industry is in serious trouble, with an ever dwindling number of producers and recent severe vaccine shortages. What everyone also should know is that the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine has now pinned much of the blame on the government vaccine-buying program promoted by former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The panel of doctors and economists issuing a report on vaccines last week identified as a fundamental cause of the problem the fact that the government purchases 55 percent of the childhood vaccine market at forced discount prices. The result has been "declining financial incentives to develop and produce vaccines."

 

[MAJA]

I posted the same concern and/or question at the end of the earlier "flu" question. See the earlier question for an acceptable explaination.

 

[keith]

quote:

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Originally posted by mormit:
As much as Bush/Cheney want to tell us we have the best health care in the world, we don't. We're right between Slovinia and Portugal...

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Thanks for the laugh. I can must imagine MRI machines in every town in Slovenia, and US dignitaries leaving Sloan-Kettering in droves to fly to Slovenia for their state of the art cancer treatments.

Back to reality.

There is a disconnect between the consumer and provider. Why would an insured consumer care what the doctor or hospital or drug company charges them? Answer - they don't. The insurer cares, but the consumer doesn't and it's the consumer that visits the doctor and consumes drugs. Then add to that equation the effect of an insatiable buyer (government) whose accounting practices make Enron look golden, and it's no wonder the system is straining.

Eventually we will have "free" government controlled / socialist health care here. Not because it is better, it is not, but because our friends in Washington DC are pushing in that direction. Hillarycare went down in flames, but JFKerry has a better plan! The recent prescription drug addition to Medicare is but another step in the road to rationing and poor quality health care.

 

[tweeker43]

probably the biggest problem with making flu vaccine is getting the right strain. that in itself makes it very expensive.

that said, the drug companies spend billions each year advertising and paying people to drive around in bmw's, wear gold watches, and push sample packs on doctors who are poorly versed in pharmacology.

the vast majority of the drugs on the market need little to no "sales." drugs aren't cars; viagra doesn't cure colds, or reduce acid reflux. these are specific medications for specific conditions or symptoms.

i have pens and paper for clozaril. it's an anti-pshychotic. why in the fsck would anyone print pens and paper for an anti-psychotic?

we get tons of "free" crap from big-pharma every year (my wife is a pharmacist.)

 

[farfel]

quote:

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Originally posted by mormit:
This is what we get from a market driven health care system.

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The gov't is forcing companies to sell flu vaccines at a loss. That's price-fixing and NOT market-driven.


If it was market-driven, companies would be falling over themselves to sell it. Flu shots would be as common as aspirin because it's an ideal product for making profit:
- 270 million people need it
- there's not enough to go around

This shortage is created by government price-fixing...pure & simple. The politicians should step back and let the market work. Let the price be determined by the market.

Let companies set their own flu shots prices.