Dear CMPI Friends,

The Center for Medicine in the Public Interest is pleased this week to announce the release of an audio interview with CMPI President Peter J. Pitts for The Burrill Report with the Journal of Life Sciences discussing the new FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg and the impact this appointment will have on the Biotech and pharmaceutical industries.

To listen to this interview, click here:

http://www.tjols.com/article-1211.html

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

CMPI NEWS
www.cmpi.org

Uncle Sam, M.D.? Hold On Just A Minute
Washington Examiner
By Peter J. Pitts
March 20, 2009

KEY DATA: An estimated 75 percent o the $2.2 trillion spent annually in the U.S. on healthcare is for treating chronic illnesses like diabetes and cancer.

Last Thursday, the nation’s preeminent business organization released a study showing that the high costs of the American healthcare system puts American businesses at a significant disadvantage.

The Business Roundtable, which represents some of the country’s biggest corporations, found that for every $100 the U.S. spends on healthcare, our main competitor countries -- the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, France, and German -- only spend about 63 cents.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columns/OpEd-Contributor/Uncle-Sam-MD-Hold-on-just-a-minute-41555562.html

The Folly Of Comparative Effectiveness Reviews
Reflections Magazine
By Robert M. Goldberg, PhD
March 2009

Comparative effectiveness—which is supposedly the “science” of comparing two treatments for the same illness and determining which one provides the best outcome for the least amount of money—is something that at least on the surface should be a process we can all agree on. Who wouldn’t want to use baking soda in warm water for an upset stomach instead of a four-dollar pill?

http://www.cmpi.org/in-the-news/in-the-news/the-folly-of-comparative-effectiveness-reviews/

DRUGWONKS BLOG
www.drugwonks.com

Comparative Ignorance On Prostate Cancer Screening
By Robert M. Goldberg
March 19, 2009

In case you missed it, here is what the Fritz Schroder who ran the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer said about the results of the study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine:

http://www.drugwonks.com/blog_post/show/6687

Stark Mad
By Mario Coluccio
March 17, 2009

Last week, Congressman Pete Stark (R-CA), Chairman of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, held a hearing on 2lst century healthcare reform. In his remarks Congressman Stark said, “Comprehensive health reform is needed to ensure affordable health coverage for the 46 million uninsured. Today’s experts made clear that the option of a public health insurance plan is the key to slowing the health spending trend and improving quality.”

http://www.drugwonks.com/blog_post/show/6682

Career Advice
By Peter Pitts
March 17, 2009

Sources inside the Obama administration assure me that they have no plans to bifurcate food/tobacco from drugs/devices.  In other words, Commissioner-designate Hamburg and proposed Principal Deputy Commissioner Sharfstein will act as a team in addressing the direction of the FDA as a totality.

That being said, the issue of whether or not food safety and security remains inside the FDA or becomes its own agency within HHS remains as contentious as ever, with Representative Waxman and Representative DeLauro agreeing to disagree.

http://www.drugwonks.com/blog_post/show/6683

CMPI VIDEO

Phil Kerpen is director of policy for Americans for Prosperity, as well as a contributing editor for National Review Online, blogger at Fox Forum, and chairman of the Internet Freedom Coalition.

Prior to joining AFP, Mr. Kerpen served as the policy director and acting executive director for the Free Enterprise Fund, an organization he founded with Stephen Moore in January of 2005. Mr. Kerpen has also previously worked as an analyst and researcher for the Club for Growth, the Woodhill Foundation, and the Cato Institute.

In our interview with Phil Kerpen, we discussed Comparative Effectiveness Research and President Obama’s Healthcare reform plans

Watch interview here:

http://www.biggovhealth.org/testimonials/policymakers/phil-kerpen/

Tim Pawlenty is currently serving his second term as the 39th governor of Minnesota. Pawlenty was a leading contender for Vice-Presidential running-mate to Senator John McCain in the 2008 Presidential election.

In our interview with Governor Pawlenty, we asked him about his expectations from President Obama on healthcare reform this year.

Watch interview here:

http://www.biggovhealth.org/testimonials/policymakers/tim-pawlenty/

George Allen is the former Governor of Virginia and a former U.S. Senator. Allen currently serves as President of George Allen Strategies, LLC and is the Reagan Ranch Presidential Scholar for the Young America’s Foundation.

In our interview with Senator Allen, we asked him about the impact of Comparative Effectiveness Research on patients, the massive expansion of S-CHIP, and whether the American people will be in a position to resist the Congressional push toward government takeover of healthcare.

Watch interview here:

http://www.biggovhealth.org/testimonials/policymakers/george-allen/

ARTICLES OF NOTE

Brown Apologizes For Unacceptable Failings At Stafford ‘Third World’ Hospital
DailyMail
March 19, 2009

There can be "no excuses" for what happened to patients at Stafford Hospital, the Prime Minister said today as he apologised to families caught up in the scandal.

Gordon Brown promised relatives they would be entitled to an independent review of case notes and said standards "fell far short" of what people could expect from the NHS.

A damning report form the Healthcare Commission yesterday detailed a catalogue of failings at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Stafford and Cannock Chase hospitals.

Dehydrated patients were forced to drink out of flower vases, while others were left in soiled linen on filthy wards.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1162552/Brown-apologises-unacceptable-failings-Stafford-Third-World-hospital.html

|Stem Cells And The Truth About Medical Innovation
Wall Street Journal
By Scott Gottlieb
March 13, 2009

Whatever one thinks of the ethics of using human embryos in medical research, the rhetoric around President Barack Obama's decision to expand federal funding for embryonic stem-cell science reveals a widespread misconception of how medical products are created.

Many of the same political leaders who are the strongest champions for federally funded research seek to impose myriad restrictions, regulations, and economic controls on the private companies that translate public science into practical medical innovations. As a result, while Mr. Obama's stem-cell decision only affects federal funding, and while more funding will mean more research, it's far from certain that this will hasten the realization of new medical products.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123698895500426185.html

Don’t Blame Drugs For Health-Care Costs
National Review
By Sally C. Pipes
March 2009

In the opening pages of his recently released budget, Pres. Barack Obama describes the rising cost of health care as “one of the big drains on family budgets and on the performance of the economy as a whole.” Later in the budget, he suggests that America spends too much on prescription drugs — implying that drug prices are responsible for our high health-care costs. This is a popular misconception, and it will likely hinder Obama’s plan to revamp the U.S. health system.

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YTQ1NDExZjQxYmYyYzY2YmIzMWM1MmEzZGFiOTUxYTk=

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