Comments on: Under The Influence

60 Minutes' Steve Kroft Reports On Drug Lobbyists' Role in Passing Bill That Keeps Drug Prices High

[fusco125]

before you all comment, you should do some research. For example, socaltz claimed that Lipitor was generic Zocor. Wrong! The generic for lipitor is atorvastatin. Anyone on the front lines knows that the medicare Part D plan has done nothing but make the insurance companies and generic manufacturers rich. Drug companies have made significant layoffs since its inception. Doctors have to have a staff member designated to fill out prior authorization forms just so their patients can get the medicines the doctors prescribe. The midwestern doctor who complained about the sales reps should know better. And the irony, this benefits the doctor in no way. Once again, do your research before posting ignorant comments

[mh1113]

I think this is criminal!! Those involved should be prosecuted. I think we need not only to have these stories heard once, but followed through with more updates, as with Enron. These people should be publicly embarrassed. I feel these types of stories should be on news racks right next to the Enquirer. It could also give credit to those who do the right thing. We need to make our Government responsible for their actions.
I hate seeing so many people struggle to make a living and you see our government just waste it away. I don't think people mind paying taxes for good programs, but when you have a bunch of people in our government that do not care or respect our money then it makes you MAD.
I do wish someone would publish and broadcast on TV these types of stories with follow-ups. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THE HEAT OFF!!

[bobsager]

I'm exposed to this lobbying almost every day in my medical office in a small town in the midwest. I am being visited by up to 5 sales reps for the same drug and no one is asking what the marketing costs of this type of outrageous lobbying is adding to the costs of our drugs. I hope 60 Minutes continues to expose the many ways Big Pharma is using excessive and uncontrolled lobbying and marketing to "protect their profits".
The first thing Congress might do is consider abolishing all tax deductions for Big Pharma's marketing costs for doctors, TV Ads,etc. Bet they won't though - those cushy high-paying jobs they are going into after their government work will keep the votes tilted heavily in Big Pharma's favor.
drBob

[socaltz]

How can Zocor be so much more than Lipitor? I just read in the USA Today that zocor is the generic for lipitor. Was this planned so when lipitor loses its patent zocor can then be twice as much as the brand name? And this is a government out to help - who? I have never under stood why lobbyists in the first place. Who are the lobbyists for the middle class?

[hmaxjeam2]

I don't understand why the oobbsists are allowed to psss out money and gifts to members of congress and the senate

[onemagyver]

The "political meddling" by big pharma in the U.S, is much more than people realize. It comes co-enabled by mainstream medicine, the AMA, and the health care insurers.

Worse yet, these organizations use their collective influence to FIX pricing, supply, and how products are distributed and available for consumption by consumers (patients).

QUESTION 1: If a consumer (patient) knows what medications or products he/she needs as they have been prescribed in the past, Why Does One Need to See a Physician each Time (and pay $$ and travel costs) to Obtain a Known Item?

The U.S. health care model is OUTDATED. These additional and unnecessary COSTS of our current system is 3-4 times fair market value. It should be clear there are too many middlemen taking a cut - thereby depriving consumers of a FREE MARKET system of health care.

Such inequalities and oppression will some day lead to civil unrest and an uprising in America!

Stephen Dolle
Dolle Communications

[littlegran1]

One dose of Rituximab - $7,158....22 doses Rituximab - $157,476. With thousands of people taking this medication someone is getting rich and it's sure not the average American.

[l8c6]

NYCViewer, Right wing fascist neo con distortion to the nauseating up yours american citizen degree. Did you FAIL to notice Billy boy is headed off to his new lobbying career of 2 million dollars a year for being mob puddy boi? Yeah, alot to do with research and development and appeasing shareholders. That record has been played so much the scratches make it unworthy of another run on the turn table.

The research an innovation often comes out of the public university system and underpaid scientists. Your comments are the absolute lies to the american people. 1) we must shut up and take the abuse because because business creates jobs 2) the prices must be so high that american citizens must choose amongst food, healthcare, housing etc.

I am one american who is beyond fed up with the sewer spewing scum toting traitors who have brought great harm to the country because of their sociopathic greed. When the day calls on their mortality the pigs who are killing america with their self interests will eat the poison fruit from the noxious seeds they've planted or there is no justice.

[figpreserves]

I applaud your story "Under the Influence". I'd love to see more exposure of the lobby efforts in congress. I think we all know that oil companies, tobacco industy, auto industry, and other big companies are all about as corrupt as the "drug cartel" that's buying their own brand of democracy.

Thank you for this opportunity.

[patony3]

Let me get this straight:

We the people elect and pay our congressmen. Our taxes, our money is used to pay them. We approve generous compensation packages that allow numerous perquisites, enabling their privileged lives. From what we see, congressional careers are much comprised of lunch meetings, expensive dinners, and multiple rounds of golf - in between frequent and exotic vacations. Members of our congress then proceed to

1) force votes to fix pharmaceutical prices as high as possible, squeezing retired Medicare recipients and rewarding wealthy pharmaceutical executives (who are already overpaid with funds pilfered from their clueless shareholders).

After doing this, they

2) cross over to the private sector to collect $2,000,000/yr. salaries.

Is this not collusion? At least a conflict of interests? Where is the DOJ, the FTC and Sherman when you need them. Someone with a JD out there, help us understand - please.

It is no wonder that the world is losing respect for the US; we show none for ourselves by electing officials who abuse our system through such overt corruption. I cannot adequately express my outrage and disgust. Kudos to Steve Kroft for summoning the super-human self-control he surely required to restrain himself from slapping the arrogant smirk off the smug face of Billy Tauzin.

[nycviewer]

I was disappointed in the "Under the Influence" piece this past Sunday. It seems like there were some really nasty political moves that allowed this bill to pass, which is shameful. However, not one person was asked why this bill might actually be good for our healthcare system. No doubt, our system has many faults -- one of which is drugs being too costly for many seniors. However, the existence of the bill raised a much more important question than how it was passed, which is the question of how prices should be set in our system.

Our healthcare system provides a monetary incentive for pharmaceuticals to find more cures that extend lives. Because of this, our capital markets system gives these companies money to invest in research for new drugs and treatments. If the pharmaceutical companies are not allowed to make profits -- significant profits -- investors will rationally take their money to other, more profitable endeavors. Would we be better off with lower costs and less money for research and innovation? There should be checks/balances to make sure prices are not inflated, but having the government regulate the prices to limit margin would stifle innovation. This balance of price and innovation will be fundamental to fixing our broken system.

I was just disappointed that 60 decided to run a political finger pointing and missed, or intentionally buried, what could have been a thorough and interesting debate on pharmaceuticals role in our healthcare system.

[blacksand1]

After seeing this, I wondered around trying to figure out the difference between a lobbyist and someone who bribes someone. About the only thing I could figure out is that lobbying is legal and bribing an official is not.
Being a member of the donut hole club, I'm very interested in drug costs. I was also wondering why George Bush, a president I've been trying very hard to support, would veto a bill allowing medicare to bargain over drug prices the same as the VA?

[l8c6]

"Capitalism is an ECONOMIC system. Capitalism IS NOT a system of Governance. Corporate personhood, unchecked corporate power and social darwinism will eventually bring the United States of America to its knees."--LZSFCA

I wonder how many people hear and understand what you are saying? I'd like to add or clarify, it will bring the United States as we've known it to ruins, replace it with an elite ruling class either in the form of a regime directed by a narrow ideology or unlikely a royal family though the Saudi royal family does own quite a piece of the United States.

As far as bringing anything to its knees, I can see it bringing the people to a state of serfdom.

By the way, the right wing attacks on socialism. Germany is a country that has operated under a pretty large social net. The streets in the major cities are safe, clean, extremely liveable with excellent infrastructures. Now our right wingers like the latin american style of rich behind walls coming out in bullet proof cars to catch a jet to anywhere exotica while the masses live in poverty. That's the sociopathy of the right wing. The greatest good for absolute smallest number at the expense of the human race. Right wingers hate the word social. Sociopaths do hate the word social, ya see, that's part and parcel what defines an anti-social personality disorder.

[bsg]

Leslie V Norwalk - Acting CMMS chair, may you commit to not being in the payrolls of any pharmaceutical lobbying or manufacturing company?
BTW, what happened to your former boss, "i have no plans of resigning my post" McLelan? Is he lobbying for the industry now too?

[brianbaker8]

Former Congressman Billy Tauzin was all smiles during his interview. I felt that Steve Kroft was way to easy on him. This guy (Tauzin) and the other Congressman should be taking out and strung up on the nearest tree. How were they representing us? They should at the least be prosecuted for the crooks that they are!

[mohican68]

My husband and I were so angry and stunned by the news story on the pharmacutical companies. There are so many people who can not afford medication and these drug companies just make money hand over fist. Lobbying should not be allowed. Let our elected representatives make decisions without the promise of a 2 million dollar job waiting for them. I just can not believe some sort of law was not broke in passing this in the house. The actions that were taken to get this passed were despicable. I guess their ethics were checked at the door. It is such a shame the people of America have to rely on people like Tauzin to represent us. They always want to have some type of hearing why not on this?

[reader_12]

Unfortunatley we have digressed. the issue here is NOT Katie Couric's display of a mixture of ingnorance, incompetence, and unprofessionalism. The issue is lobbyist groups for multinational drug corporations and their effects on the Federal "government." Frankly, action must be taken outside of the Fed. The exact of the steps that need to be taken are as of yet unknown to me but I should think that, given the gravity of the current circumstances surrounding the issue, appropriate measures will be taken. Oh, wait, sorry. I thought it was the 60's when the nation had a backbone!

"What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?"
Thomas Jefferson

[lzsfca]

Capitalism is an ECONOMIC system. Capitalism IS NOT a system of Governance. Corporate personhood, unchecked corporate power and social darwinism will eventually bring the United States of America to its knees.

[l8c6]

"You people want the federal government to fix this mess."--opusmagnus

Finally, this is the divisive separatist mentality of the right wing. A poor oppressed self-righteous group cornered by a liberal society...victimized.

Well, I for one am fed up with the bully attempts of a pimped out hypocritical republican party that has been the representative of private multinatiional corporate and dictatorial agreements.

[l8c6]

opusmagnus, further more you apparently will never learn. Washington is being pecked at by a bunch of squawking vultures but it's not the people, it unregulated business. You call this a private matter. What a cognitive distortion. Is it a private matter when the neighbors kill each other next door? The rape and pillage of our nation by private interests should be our concern. A representative government that has been purged of prostitutes pimped by multinational corporate pimps is the solution. Big business is the evil and with it's trillions in assets has generated a propaganda machine that actually has the gullible advocating for that which will place the masses into serfdom. The destruction of the United States as we think we know it. Quit blaming Roosevelt...that is a serious right wing cognitive distortion and bold faced lie.---The big lie mr. Delay.