Good News/Bad News

  • by: |
  • 11/14/2005

The good news is that one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical wholesalers (McKesson) is tightening up its supply chain. The bad news is that they weren’t going to make it public. The story became public when McKesson’s letter to Kevin Fagin — whose son received injections of a counterfeit anemia drug — did the right thing and made it public. (I recently testified with Mr. Fagin in front of the Government Reform Committee about the growing problem of coutnerfeit prescription drugs.)

The letter, from Ivan D. Meyerson, the general counsel, said that “on a going forward basis, [drugs] will only be purchased directly from the manufacturer or from the manufacturer’s designated sole distributor.” The letter states that the company has “no current intention of announcing this policy to the public.” The new policy means that the three top wholesalers that account for a total of more than 90% of medicines distributed in the U.S. have taken steps to cut off purchases from so-called secondary wholesalers. Such suppliers don’t purchase products directly from drug makers and create an opening for illicit knock-offs to enter mainstream channels. In the last year, Cardinal Health Inc. of Dublin, Ohio, and AmerisourceBergen Corp. of Chesterbrook, Pa., announced they would end purchases from the secondary market.

Mr. Fagin isn’t a policy wonk or an elected official or a pharmaceutical industry lobbyist. He’s a good man with a lot of courage. Thank you Kevin.

CMPI

Center for Medicine in the Public Interest is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization promoting innovative solutions that advance medical progress, reduce health disparities, extend life and make health care more affordable, preventive and patient-centered. CMPI also provides the public, policymakers and the media a reliable source of independent scientific analysis on issues ranging from personalized medicine, food and drug safety, health care reform and comparative effectiveness.

Blog Roll

Alliance for Patient Access Alternative Health Practice
AHRP
Better Health
BigGovHealth
Biotech Blog
BrandweekNRX
CA Medicine man
Cafe Pharma
Campaign for Modern Medicines
Carlat Psychiatry Blog
Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry: A Closer Look
Conservative's Forum
Club For Growth
CNEhealth.org
Diabetes Mine
Disruptive Women
Doctors For Patient Care
Dr. Gov
Drug Channels
DTC Perspectives
eDrugSearch
Envisioning 2.0
EyeOnFDA
FDA Law Blog
Fierce Pharma
fightingdiseases.org
Fresh Air Fund
Furious Seasons
Gooznews
Gel Health News
Hands Off My Health
Health Business Blog
Health Care BS
Health Care for All
Healthy Skepticism
Hooked: Ethics, Medicine, and Pharma
Hugh Hewitt
IgniteBlog
In the Pipeline
In Vivo
Instapundit
Internet Drug News
Jaz'd Healthcare
Jaz'd Pharmaceutical Industry
Jim Edwards' NRx
Kaus Files
KevinMD
Laffer Health Care Report
Little Green Footballs
Med Buzz
Media Research Center
Medrants
More than Medicine
National Review
Neuroethics & Law
Newsbusters
Nurses For Reform
Nurses For Reform Blog
Opinion Journal
Orange Book
PAL
Peter Rost
Pharm Aid
Pharma Blog Review
Pharma Blogsphere
Pharma Marketing Blog
Pharmablogger
Pharmacology Corner
Pharmagossip
Pharmamotion
Pharmalot
Pharmaceutical Business Review
Piper Report
Polipundit
Powerline
Prescription for a Cure
Public Plan Facts
Quackwatch
Real Clear Politics
Remedyhealthcare
Shark Report
Shearlings Got Plowed
StateHouseCall.org
Taking Back America
Terra Sigillata
The Cycle
The Catalyst
The Lonely Conservative
TortsProf
Town Hall
Washington Monthly
World of DTC Marketing
WSJ Health Blog