Re: The New York Times > Washington > Price Comparison for Drugs IsPut on Federal Web Site

[Guest guest]

Why does this part from the article strike me as funny, a?

" Gail E. Shearer, a health policy expert at Consumers Union, said, " This

is

the kind of information consumers desperately need. " But she added: " The

Web

site is challenging to use. You need to be really Web-savvy and good

with a

computer mouse to get useful information. " "

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

[ ] The New York Times > Washington > Price Comparison

for Drugs IsPut on Federal Web Site

> Price Comparison for Drugs Is Put on Federal Web Site

> By ROBERT PEAR

>

> WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 - Over objections from some drug companies, the

Bush

> administration unveiled a new feature of a federal Web site on

Wednesday

> comparing prices for similar brand-name drugs that can be used to

treat

> conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis and

> allergies.

>

> The information, compiled originally for Medicare beneficiaries, is

> available to all consumers at www.medicare.gov.

>

> Federal health officials said that doctors and patients could use the

data

> to choose less expensive drugs providing benefits similar or identical

to

> those of high-cost medications.

>

> " We are creating greater competition among drug companies and giving

seniors

> more power to compare prices and choose the lowest-cost medicine

that's

> right for them, " said Tommy G. , the secretary of health and

human

> services.

>

> The new aid to consumers became available as President Bush and his

> Democratic opponent in the presidential race, Senator Kerry,

continued

> to fight over Medicare and the votes of millions of elderly people who

rely

> on it for health insurance.

>

> In March, before Medicare became a hot issue in the campaign, Mr.

> was promising to publish detailed information comparing drug prices.

Such

> information has not been readily available to consumers. The first

batch of

> data compares prices for eight categories of drugs, with a total of 52

> products that account for about one-fourth of all drug spending for

Medicare

> beneficiaries.

>

> The Web site shows, for example, that Zocor, a top-selling Merck

product

> used to treat high cholesterol, costs an average of $89.38 for a

month's

> supply of 20 milligram tablets. The site displays several " lower-cost

> options, " including Altoprev ($57.19), made by Andrx Pharmaceuticals;

Lescol

> ($63.13), sold by Novartis; and Lipitor ($66.08), made by Pfizer.

>

> Lipitor is the world's best-selling drug, and Zocor ranks second,

according

> to sales figures reported by the manufacturers.

>

> Less than one-fourth of the elderly regularly use the Internet, but

the

> number is growing rapidly. Counselors and advocates for the elderly

said the

> comparative data would be helpful, though several said the Web site

was

> somewhat difficult to use.

>

> Gail E. Shearer, a health policy expert at Consumers Union, said,

" This is

> the kind of information consumers desperately need. " But she added:

" The Web

> site is challenging to use. You need to be really Web-savvy and good

with a

> computer mouse to get useful information. "

>

> The Web site would be more valuable if the government added

information

> comparing the effectiveness of drugs used to treat the same disease,

Ms.

> Shearer said.

>

> The new Medicare law requires the government to perform research on

the

> " comparative clinical effectiveness " of drugs.

>

> Mr. said he had discussed the new project with the drug

industry.

> " Drug makers would rather we did not do it, " he said.

>

> Drug companies frequently talk about the value of competition. But

they said

> they worried that the Web site would suggest that medicines listed in

the

> same category were equivalent, and that one could be substituted for

another

> without careful analysis by a doctor.

>

> " The medicine that is right for one patient might not be right for

another, "

> said Court G. Rosen, a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and

> Manufacturers of America, the industry trade group.

>

> Ian D. Spatz, a vice president of Merck & Company, said, " It's good

that

> patients will be able to get more information. " But, Mr. Spatz said,

> patients need to understand that brand-name drugs in the same category

are,

> in most cases, different medicines and can have different effects.

>

>

>

>

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/16/politics/16drug.html?pagewanted=print & posi

> tion=

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Why does this part from the article strike me as funny, a?

" Gail E. Shearer, a health policy expert at Consumers Union, said, " This

is

the kind of information consumers desperately need. " But she added: " The

Web

site is challenging to use. You need to be really Web-savvy and good

with a

computer mouse to get useful information. " "

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

[ ] The New York Times > Washington > Price Comparison

for Drugs IsPut on Federal Web Site

> Price Comparison for Drugs Is Put on Federal Web Site

> By ROBERT PEAR

>

> WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 - Over objections from some drug companies, the

Bush

> administration unveiled a new feature of a federal Web site on

Wednesday

> comparing prices for similar brand-name drugs that can be used to

treat

> conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis and

> allergies.

>

> The information, compiled originally for Medicare beneficiaries, is

> available to all consumers at www.medicare.gov.

>

> Federal health officials said that doctors and patients could use the

data

> to choose less expensive drugs providing benefits similar or identical

to

> those of high-cost medications.

>

> " We are creating greater competition among drug companies and giving

seniors

> more power to compare prices and choose the lowest-cost medicine

that's

> right for them, " said Tommy G. , the secretary of health and

human

> services.

>

> The new aid to consumers became available as President Bush and his

> Democratic opponent in the presidential race, Senator Kerry,

continued

> to fight over Medicare and the votes of millions of elderly people who

rely

> on it for health insurance.

>

> In March, before Medicare became a hot issue in the campaign, Mr.

> was promising to publish detailed information comparing drug prices.

Such

> information has not been readily available to consumers. The first

batch of

> data compares prices for eight categories of drugs, with a total of 52

> products that account for about one-fourth of all drug spending for

Medicare

> beneficiaries.

>

> The Web site shows, for example, that Zocor, a top-selling Merck

product

> used to treat high cholesterol, costs an average of $89.38 for a

month's

> supply of 20 milligram tablets. The site displays several " lower-cost

> options, " including Altoprev ($57.19), made by Andrx Pharmaceuticals;

Lescol

> ($63.13), sold by Novartis; and Lipitor ($66.08), made by Pfizer.

>

> Lipitor is the world's best-selling drug, and Zocor ranks second,

according

> to sales figures reported by the manufacturers.

>

> Less than one-fourth of the elderly regularly use the Internet, but

the

> number is growing rapidly. Counselors and advocates for the elderly

said the

> comparative data would be helpful, though several said the Web site

was

> somewhat difficult to use.

>

> Gail E. Shearer, a health policy expert at Consumers Union, said,

" This is

> the kind of information consumers desperately need. " But she added:

" The Web

> site is challenging to use. You need to be really Web-savvy and good

with a

> computer mouse to get useful information. "

>

> The Web site would be more valuable if the government added

information

> comparing the effectiveness of drugs used to treat the same disease,

Ms.

> Shearer said.

>

> The new Medicare law requires the government to perform research on

the

> " comparative clinical effectiveness " of drugs.

>

> Mr. said he had discussed the new project with the drug

industry.

> " Drug makers would rather we did not do it, " he said.

>

> Drug companies frequently talk about the value of competition. But

they said

> they worried that the Web site would suggest that medicines listed in

the

> same category were equivalent, and that one could be substituted for

another

> without careful analysis by a doctor.

>

> " The medicine that is right for one patient might not be right for

another, "

> said Court G. Rosen, a spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and

> Manufacturers of America, the industry trade group.

>

> Ian D. Spatz, a vice president of Merck & Company, said, " It's good

that

> patients will be able to get more information. " But, Mr. Spatz said,

> patients need to understand that brand-name drugs in the same category

are,

> in most cases, different medicines and can have different effects.

>

>

>

>

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/16/politics/16drug.html?pagewanted=print & posi

> tion=

>

>

>

>