Editorial: Compounders on Capitol Hill a Great Success

If you have been following the postings on the Compounders' Network List, you are probably aware that the International Academy of Pharmaceutical Compounding (IACP) "Compounders on Capitol Hill" was a great success in many ways.

1. The JW Marriott hotel is excellent for meetings of this size.
2. Washington DC has a lot to offer the entire family.
3. The programming was "excellent" with some of the most outstanding speakers and topics ever.
4. The exhibitors were plentiful, and there was a lot of time for interaction.
5. Rod Shafer started out the program with a great presentation on plans for IACP for the future�and the future looks great.
6. There was a lot of one-on-one interaction and discussions of mutual interest regarding compounding.
7. There were some new equipment and programs introduced by the exhibitors.
8. A great group of new fellows was inducted and several well-deserved awards were presented.
9. Visits on the hill were a hit and hopefully established and reaffirmed many relationships that will help compounding pharmacy as they discuss the healthcare programs in the future.

Start planning to attend next year. Considering the current prospective, we will need everybody's support to promote quality pharmaceutical compounding.


Loyd V. Allen, Jr., PhD, RPh
Editor-in-Chief

FTC: End Drug Patent Settlements to Save $35B
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair has stated that eliminating lucrative patent settlements between brand-name and generic drug companies would save consumers $3.5 billion annually. The FTC has been working on a long campaign against so-called "pay-to-delay" settlements.

A pay-to-delay settlement is where a branded drug company rewards a generic competitor for keeping cheaper versions of its drugs off the market. The companies argue that these settlements are an efficient way to end costly patent litigation and speed the delivery of cheaper treatments to the market. However, it serves to keep the less expensive competitive drugs off the market and deprives consumers of low-cost medicines.

These arrangements are clearly a win-win deal for both companies, but they leave American consumers footing the bill. The brand-name company does away with competition while it sells its drugs and the generic company gets money for doing nothing.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i1_o5I3fLOyIw5lF7KRNrLUlzHAAD990L1JO0

Prescription Drug Fight Goes Before Appeals Court
The "data-mining" companies that collect information about the drugs that doctors prescribe asked an appeals court Tuesday to stop Vermont from enacting a law restricting their work. The attorney for the groups said that the law would violate the First Amendment rights of the companies.

The attorney, representing IMS Health Inc., Verispan LLC, and Source Healthcare Analytics Inc., told the judges that information gathered by the companies is noncommercial speech protected by the First Amendment. He said the companies are the world's leading publishers of information regarding the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.

These companies gather electronic information showing which doctors prescribe which medications most frequently and publish unique reports-"a form of specialized news reporting."

These companies have tried to block laws restricting their activities in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont and more than 20 state legislatures have looked at the issue.

An assistant attorney general on the case says no substantial First Amendment issues are at stake. She called the work done by the companies a "covert marketing tool." She said the state had proven that data marketed by the companies led to higher healthcare costs and contributed to inappropriate prescribing decisions.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g-kI26F9PbQA4pJW0zHIsJlr-J0QD990M5T81

Even when your investments are losing money, you may still be paying those financial counselors who are in charge of them. Yes, even though you may have lost 30% to 40% of your portfolio over the past several months, you may have still been charged the service charge (for example 2% per year) for investing your money. In essence, they have been getting paid for losing your money. This doesn't always show up, as it is oftentimes difficult to get detailed statements on your accounts and what is actually going on. They tend to just give you summaries so one can't always track investments like we can our bank accounts, etc.

Investment Investigation
Get to know how your investments are being handled�you may be surprised and it may save you some money.