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November 08, 2006
The Letter "P"
by Peter Pitts
So now what happens?
Post-election it’s all about the letter “P.”
I am concerned that, as far as FDA is concerned, we will lose whatever momentum there was towards an agency that was focusing on (as Andy von Eschenbach phrased it) “the three P's of prevention, predictive medicine, and the participatory critical path.” ...
… and we will move to a House of Representatives that is focused on politics. And that means hearings. Lots and lots of hearings couched in the word “oversight.” And that’s particularly dangerous right now because of PDUFA.
On the broader health care front the Big P is certainly going to be a debate over whether or not Part D should be redesigned, specifically whether the non-interference clause should be revoked. Our new Speaker, Nancy Pelosi has this on her “First 100 Hours” to-do list. And that’s just a preliminary peroration towards a more frightening parley over price controls and intellectual property (aka: patents).
You can also bet we’ll see more rhetoric over plans for phony importation schemes.
It's very important to remember that this election wasn't fought on health care. And don't let anybody tell you different.
Which means we all must redouble our efforts to advance the public health by being peppy, potent, proactive, persuasive, puissant – and most importantly – positive.
America's health is too important to be about partisanship or about profits. It must be about progress, about patients.
We must keep our eyes on the prize.
Posted by Peter Pitts at November 8, 2006 10:55 AM
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