Donald K. Allen for President

Pharmaceutical Costs

It is common practice for American pharmaceutical companies to charge consumers in the USA much higher prices for their products than they charge in other countries, even countries with high incomes.  One example is the drug ritonavir, used in the treatment of AIDS.  Marketed under the trade name Norvir® by Abbott Labs, the selling price in the USA is 400% higher than in any other country (see Bayh-Dole Act in Wikipedia).  Another example is Pfizer’s glaucoma drug Xalantan®, which is sold in this country at two to five times as much as it is sold for in other high-income countries. 

I believe this is totally unfair to the American citizen in that the price of development and marketing seems to be borne entirely by us while the rest of the world benefits from medicines at bargain prices.  As President I would require that all pharmaceutical companies establish a “One World Price” for all of their products, and that the only variation on this price would be due to costs of shipping and handling.  I would also seriously consider repealing Bayh-Dole (read “Next” by Michael Crichton, and for books on disc be sure to listen to the interview at the end).