Viewpoints: Pharma CEOs Shouldn’t Be Glorified For Not Ripping Consumers Off

Los Angeles Times: Allergan CEO Is Shocked (Shocked!) By Insane Drug Prices
So it’s come to this: The chief executive of a major drug company is a hero because he won’t rip off customers any more. Brent Saunders, CEO of Allergan, the company best known for making Botox, made headlines this week after posting an announcement on his company’s website that future price hikes will be limited to single digits and he’ll no longer jack up prices to crazy levels right before a patent expires. “While we have participated in this industry practice in the past, we will stop this practice going forward,” Saunders said. (David Lazarus, 9/8)

Los Angeles Times: Congress: What I Didn't Do This Summer — Fund Zika
Welcome back to work, Congress! We see the Senate picked up right where it left off before its seven-week summer recess — blocking a bill to provide $1.1 billion for Zika prevention efforts because it would bar funding for Planned Parenthood and its affiliates. While you were out campaigning, fundraising or barbequing, however, the number of Zika cases in the U.S. more than doubled to 2,700, and people infected with the virus have turned up in every state. A total of 17 babies have been born with Zika-related birth defects (two in California), and about 1,600 pregnant women are known to have been exposed. And those are just the cases we know about; some 80% of those infected with the disease have mild or no symptoms. (9/7)

The Sacramento Bee: In Support Of Children’s Health Care, Yes On Proposition 52
Proposition 52 is a rare initiative for which there should be little debate or dissent. The measure would extend an existing fee on hospitals to provide health care to poor people, guarantee that the federal government will match the state’s share, and inhibit the Legislature from diverting the money to other programs. The Sacramento Bee’s editorial board generally opposes using ballot measures to tie legislators’ hands on fiscal matters. But Proposition 52 is an exception, and the vast majority of lawmakers agree. (9/7)

The Los Angeles Times: Rabies Treatment Shows Why U.S. Healthcare Is Hard To Swallow
Jan Kern was bitten by a stray dog while traveling abroad and ended up with a jaw-dropping illustration of why the U.S. healthcare industry is completely sick.That’s because she underwent a series of rabies shots in three countries at four medical facilities. What that revealed, and which will surprise no one, is that Americans pay way more for the exact same treatment than people in other nations. (David Lazarus, 9/6)

Orange County Register: Dial 9-1-1 For Monopoly In Huntington Beach
AmeriCare MedServices, Inc. filed a lawsuit last week in federal court alleging Huntington Beach has wrongly monopolized the city’s emergency ambulance market. In 1993, the City Council voted to allow the fire department to maintain and operate its own emergency ambulance system. Opponents at the time argued the city would be better served by competition among private companies. Since then, however, the city has been served by a generally well-regarded program which, according to the city’s website, transports up to 10,000 patients annually. (9/7)

The Los Angeles Times: Marijuana: A Potent Disruptor For Young Users, Whose Brains Are Still Developing
As Californians ponder whether to vote for Proposition 64, the November ballot initiative that would legalize marijuana for adult use, it’s important to own up to the fact that marijuana is not always the benign bud that many advocates would have us believe, particularly for teens and young adults, whose brains are still developing. (Robin Abcarian, 9/2)

Los Angeles Times: Rabies Treatment Shows Why U.S. Healthcare Is Hard To Swallow
Jan Kern was bitten by a stray dog while traveling abroad and ended up with a jaw-dropping illustration of why the U.S. healthcare industry is completely sick. That’s because she underwent a series of rabies shots in three countries at four medical facilities. What that revealed, and which will surprise no one, is that Americans pay way more for the exact same treatment than people in other nations. Moreover, her experience highlights the lack of uniformity for drug prices, including commonly used medications. One facility might charge a few bucks for the same drug that costs thousands of dollars at a U.S. hospital. (David Lazarus, 9/6)