Big Pharma Cooperation

8/14/09
EIN News says, "Internal Memo Confirms Big Giveaways in White House Deal With Big Pharma. A memo obtained by the Huffington Post confirms that the White House and the pharmaceutical lobby secretly agreed to precisely the sort of wide-ranging deal that both parties have been denying over the past week. The memo, which according to a knowledgeable health care lobbyist was prepared by a person directly involved in the negotiations, lists exactly what the White House gave up, and what it got in return. It says the White House agreed to oppose any congressional efforts to use the government's leverage to bargain for lower drug prices or import drugs from Canada -- and also agreed not to pursue Medicare rebates or shift some drugs from Medicare Part B to Medicare Part D, which would cost Big Pharma billions in reduced reimbursements. (huffingtonpost.com)".
Shame on Big Pharma for its gullibility. Dealing with the Devil is always a bad idea. Does Big Pharma really believe that the Obama Administration will not push for lower drug prices, when there is public pressure to do so? Dictatorships are always opportunistic. When they don't have complete control, they will sacrifice what is least threatening. In this case, big Pharma will go down, if the public demands more giveaways.