Can the Supreme Court hike drug prices?

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 18:14:00 +0000

The Supreme Court oral arguments on marriage equality deserved all the attention they received -- but it's another case heard this week that will affect even more people over the course of their lifetimes. And it could cost Americans millions in prescription drug bills.

The case falls within a sadly predictable continuum for the Roberts Court, which virtually always sides with the corporate litigant over the government or individual. This time, the arguments in FTC v. Actavis revolve around an insidious tactic common to the nation’s largest drug companies, and known as “pay for delay.” As a result of the likely ruling in this case, drug companies will be able to charge consumers as much as five times the potential cost of their products. And both government regulators and consumers will watch helplessly as pharmaceutical companies bribe generic drug makers to retain their exclusive holds on the lifesaving medicines we all inevitably require.

Brand USA takes a hit

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:08:00 +0000

The Country Brand Index (CBI) compiled by brand consultants FutureBrand annually looks at nation-states through the lens of consumer perceptions. If every country is and has a "brand," how do these brands fare against each other? According to the 2012-2013 CBI report, due for release Wednesday, brand USA is on the decline.

Listed in eighth place in the CBI top 25 country brands this year, the U.S. has fallen eight places since 2009, when the U.S. took the top spot and FutureBrand found some truth in the jingoistic chant "USA, number one." The CBI Index this year found Switzerland to have the top country brand, while the U.K.'s brand enjoyed a two-place leap to eleventh place, likely due to London Olympics attention.

In a release, FutureBrand explained how country brand perception is measured for their annual report:

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Can the Supreme Court hike drug prices?

Brand USA takes a hit