Prescription Drugs

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Medicare Drug Cards Provide Little or No Savings for Seniors

An analysis prepared at the request of Rep. Waxman finds that prices under the new prescription drug cards are far higher than prices in Canada and those negotiated by the federal government, and are no lower than prices currently available to Medicare beneficiaries.

FDA Prescription Drug Ad Enforcement Declines Again

The new report prepared at the request of Rep. Waxman finds that FDA enforcement of provisions barring false and misleading advertisements has continued to decline.

Ending Price Discrimination vs. Republican Medicare Proposal

Eliminating international drug price discrimination would provide most seniors with a greater reduction in drug costs than the Republican Medicare proposal -- and at no cost to the taxpayer.

GAO Study Shows Prescription Drug Cards Fail to Provide Meaningful Savings to Seniors

Reps. Waxman, Stark, Brown and Ross release a GAO study showing prescription drug discount cards produce only minimal savings at best.

HHS Asked for List of Unapproved Prescription Drugs; FDS Urged to Regulate Cystic Fibrosis Medications

In a follow-up letter, Rep. Waxman asks HHS Secretary Thompson for a complete list of marketed prescription drugs that do not have FDA approval as well as those that in the past lacked FDA approval and were subsequently either approved or taken off the market. Rep. Waxman also urges Secretary Thompson to instruct the FDA to require approval of the pancreatic enzyme drugs used by patients with cystic fibrosis.

Enforcement of FDA Ad Regulations Drops Precipitously

In a letter to HHS Secretary Thompson, Rep. Waxman reveals that FDA enforcement actions against drug manufacturers for false or misleading claims in drug advertisements have dropped by 70% under the Bush Administration.

FDA Reverses Decision on Pediatric Rule

The FDA announced a reversal of its decision to suspend the pediatric rule, but stated that the rule "needs to be updated."

FDA To Suspend Child Safety Rule

Rep. Waxman, Rep. Sherrod Brown and Rep. John Dingell wrote President Bush to urge him to intervene to stop the FDA from suspending the 'pediatric rule' that protects children from unsafe and improperly dosed medications.

Combatting Antibiotic Resistance

Reps. Waxman, Sherrod Brown and Louise Slaughter announced a survey of poultry producers on their use of antibiotics and introduced legislation to reduce the use of antibiotics by these producers.

New Data on Administration Prescription Drug Card Plan

Reps. Waxman, Dingell, Rangel, Stark, Brown, and Ross wrote to HHS Secretary Thompson describing new GAO data that indicates that the drug cards proposed by the Bush Administration are unlikely to provide significant benefits for seniors.

Inclusion of Women in New Drug Testing

At the request of Rep. Waxman and Senators Tom Harkin, Jim Jeffords, Barbara Mikulski, and Olympia Snowe, the General Accounting Office (GAO) investigated FDA’s progress in addressing the inclusion of women in clinical drug trials.

Prescription Drug Discount Cards

President Bush has proposed offering drug discount cards to senior citizens, which would allow them to purchase their medications at a reduced rate. However, a report by the Special Investigations Division has found that similar programs currently being offered by private companies provide little, if any, savings.

Prescription Drug Fairness for Seniors Act

Reps. Waxman and Tom Allen, along with over 100 other members of Congress, introduced the Prescription Drug Fairness for Seniors Act (H.R. 1400). This bill will protect seniors from price discrimination and allow Medicare beneficiaries to purchase drugs at substantially reduced prices. The legislation achieves these goals by allowing pharmacies that serve Medicare beneficiaries to purchase drugs at the low “average foreign price.”

Safety of Drugs for Women

At the request of Rep. Waxman and Senators Tom Harkin, Barbara Mikulski, and Olympia Snowe, GAO reviewed drug products withdrawn from the U.S. market since January 1, 1997. This review revealed that eight of ten prescription drugs withdrawn posed greater risk for women than for men.

Breast Cancer Drugs Are More Expensive on Long Island than in Foreign Countries

This report for Rep. McCarthy is an example of the reports prepared by the Special Investigations Division that compare breast cancer drug prices in the United States with prices in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It found that breast cancer patients in Long Island pay much more for drugs than consumers in these four industrialized countries.

Prescription Drug Coverage

A report for Rep. Waxman by the Special Investigations Division found that over one-third of California seniors lack prescription drug coverage. In addition, the report found that many seniors in the state skip or reduce dosages of medications because they cannot afford to follow their doctors’ prescriptions; that the number of uninsured seniors in California is increasing; and that even seniors in the state who have drug insurance encounter difficulty affording their medicine.

Medicare’s Failure to Cover Kidney Medication Costs Taxpayers Millions

At the request of Rep. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Rep. Rush Holt of New Jersey, the Special Investigations Division investigated Medicare’s coverage of prescription drugs for kidney dialysis patients.

Pricing of Breast Cancer Drugs on Long Island: Breast Cancer Victims Face Discriminatory Prices

This report for Rep. Carolyn McCarthy of Long Island, New York, is an example of the reports prepared by the Special Investigations Division that compare breast cancer drug prices. It found that breast cancer patients are forced to pay twice as much for lifesaving medicines as drug companies’ favored U.S. customers, such as HMOs and the federal government.

Medicaid Drug Price Manipulation

At the request of Rep. Waxman, the HHS Inspector General and the Special Investigations Division investigated whether drug manufacturers are circumventing the law that requires them to provide drugs to the Medicaid program at the same low prices available to favored private sector purchasers.

FDA Approval of Rezulin

A new diabetes medication has been linked to at least 33 deaths since it was approved in 1996. According to the Los Angeles Times, the government's top diabetes researcher at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was a paid consultant to Rezulin's manufacturer, Warner-Lambert, while he oversaw the selection and use of the drug in a major government diabetes prevention study. Rep. Waxman wrote NIH Director Dr. Harold Varmus to resolve questions about the safety of Rezulin and the potential conflicts of interest.

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