President Bill Clinton promised last week that his plan to overhaul
the US health care system would 鈥榮peed research on effective prevention
and treatment鈥� for chronic diseases and 鈥榮afeguard the finest medical research
establishment in the entire world鈥�. However, critics are already asking
how the government can expand health care coverage to all Americans, cut
costs, and improve biomedical research, all at the same time.
The Pharmaceuticals Manufacturers Association says that Clinton鈥檚 draft
plan will 鈥榰ndermine incentives for pharmaceutical research and development鈥�.
The group says the plan would allow the government to 鈥榖lacklist鈥� drugs
which are 鈥榚xcessively or inappropriately priced鈥� and that the spectre of
such a blacklist would discourage drug development.
Clinton urged drugs companies to reduce their prices in the US and
bring them into line with prices abroad.
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