Big Pharma mouthpieces applauded the decision by a judge that D.C. legislation recently passed to rein in prescription-drug prices is unconstitutional.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon ruled the Prescription Drug Excessive Pricing Act of 2005, passed unanimously by the D.C. Council in September, was unconstitutional in a blow to Council members such as David Catania, I-at large, who authored the bill.
The bill would make it illegal to sell patented medicines for an "excessive price" in the District. The D.C. government or any person affected by excessive prices could initiate legal action against a drug company if the wholesale price of a patented prescription drug in D.C. is 30 percent higher than the same drug's price in Australia, Canada, Germany or the United Kingdom.
In late October, the D.C.-based Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which represents biotech and pharmaceutical companies, filed a lawsuit against the council seeking declaratory and injunctive relief.
"Today's decision ... protects both patients and the quality healthcare we enjoy in this country," says PhRMA President and CEO Billy Tauzin in a statement. This is the same PhRMA who adopted a "scare novel" approach to importing Canadian medicines.
http://pharmagossip.blogspot.com/2005/10/pill-fiction.html
Source: Washington Business Journal
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