good to see you finally clued in to who the “bad guys” really are. Too bad its too late to change whose side the President is on. I’d love a journalist to ask him about this to see his response.

Has anyone heard anything back from Rep. Anna Eshoo (other than her diatribe against Jane over at The Hill and at HuffPo)?

Or is she too busy testing the breeze to see if the legs on this story are going to spell political hara-kiri in CA’s 14th?

And WTF is with MoveOn wrt Anna Eshoo’s healthcare “help”:

On Friday, November 13, MoveOn members gathered in front of Anna Eshoo’s office to thank her for supporting health care reform. The Raging Grannies of Palo Alto sang songs while the crowd gathered and signed a giant thank you card for Representative Eshoo. It was graciously accepted on her behalf by Anthony Lin, who also had cookies for all the guests!

• Shakes head •

The odd thing is why there isn’t a revolution yet.

On an off-note: anyone managed to control his cag reflexes long enough yesterday to see guiliani get softballed on cnn and the ksm trial? Followed by Conrad (of all!) being on John King’s ‘the best cnn can think off when it comes to appearing unbiassed’?

Jeez, I forgot why I never watch cnn anymore for a bit……

The price of Pfizer’s Viagra has doubledsince it was launched, according to a list of wholesale acquisition costs paid by pharmacies, obtained by BNET. In May 1999, a 100-count bottle of the blue diamonds cost $700. Today, that same bottle costs $1,457.61, a 108 percent increase, according to the list. (List of price increases at link.)

I’m not understanding the relationshipe between drug patents that are ready to expire with the need for R&D. I’m not going to speculate what the reasons are for my non-understanding. Could be a lot of things. And, it’s not the drugs I’m taking. To be sure.

That’s pretty firm evidence of a rigid upping of price and a stiffening resolve on the parts of PhARMA to take it to the public, hard.

Viagra’s price has doubled in size…Heh!

I already wrote Anna and said “she has lost my vote unless she rescinds this amendment”! I live in her district… She has me pissed on this one. Looking for a better Dem to help get us the people better representation!

Because when patents expire, they can become generics and their profits go down. Which is why they want”endless patents” or in the case of biologics “data exclusivity” (which is different than a patent but also has the effect of discouraging generics).

Yeah, she’s at the top of my list. For sure. And PhRMA won’t be able to save her.

And, it’s not the drugs I’m taking. To be sure.

not even a little bit demi???

Jane if you know any one in the district please let me know.. I do know of my State rep but not sure about how he stands on issues we care about so much.

Geez, talk about a complete lack of understanding.

Thanks. BTW, I always, always ask for generic.

Wish I could. Two drugs I take have no generics. Really expensive.

Just as a helpful warning to other FDL folks, I just refreshed this post (F5) and received a “fake” anti-virus warning.

The warning was from one of those “fake” anti-virus vendors that insisted I had a virus and it wanted to scan my system.

Folks, as a lifelong computer techie, I know that this “fake” anti-virus vendor is itself a virus/trojan. Don’t swallow their hook, line and sinker BS!

One of my brothers bought into the slick trick (in his case, it called itself Anti Virus Pro 2010), and it took me several hours to clean it off his home computer.

The mods may already be onto this hack here, but I thought I’d pass on the info if they hadn’t yet seen it.

Mz. Hamsher thanks for continuing the dialogue and fight against this insanity and treachery being committed upon the citizens of the USA.

Time to take it to the streets, in numbers, LARGE numbers. Millions upon millions.

To the streets, in non-violent protest.

That pressure will surely impact the fears of the status quo at the polls, and force SOME modicum of positive change, wouldn’t it?

Right now, we progs/libs are labeled as all bark and no results oriented actions.

Taking it to the streets will dispell THAT lie.

When will the horn be sounded, ma’am?

Will YOU sound the horn? Many will answer, you know.

The joys of living in a MAC World! *G*

I don’t know the details about patents, but, maybe in your research you’ve learned a detail about this question. How much variant details have to be altered to get a new patent. For example, if a company added, let’s say, magnisium to a calcium, would that let them get a patent. That’s just a for instance question.

I read somewhere recently that Mac’s are beginning to be the target of viruses, trojans, worms, etc.

Response: It is true that for older biologics there is the potential for biosimilars to start coming on the market shortly after an FDA approval pathway is adopted. However, under Rep. Eshoo’s proposal it will be possible for brand companies to make relatively simple and inexpensive tweaks to the older biologics, and obtain a new 12-year protection period for the modified product.

Link

p.s. care to hazard a guess as to what they’ll do about 11 1/2 years out ? :D

Why are Mac users seen as elitists? I wouldn’t know. Not one.
With everything else going wrong with the world, is this a point to get all judgementally about? It does seem to be a popular topic here.

Ah you Macsters, so lovable. *g*

Didn’t I just read that the iPhone got infected recently?

Count your blessings, but don’t be holding your breath ’cause it’s only a matter of time for Macs as well.

And what will be the worst thing about it, is that a belief that Macs can’t be infected mean that few if any Macs will have any Anti-Virus program that might mitigate the impact.

I say this not out of a Microsoftie bias (Steve Ballmer is nothing more than a used clown car salesman), but from way too much personal experience of having to clean up the friggin’ messes on family and friends’ systems.

I’ve stopped guessing. Just trying to learn.
Few brain cells left. *g*

Twitter Vitter!?

I’ll pass on that one.

Well, that sucks. Sorry for you.

it is a tough one for me to get my head around – Chemistry combined with high Finance – c’mon now, where are the crib notes ?

of course I’ve completely blown out the circuits in typing the words:
“Thank You Senator Vitter”

I mean, I only get prescriptions about three or four timses a year. Have no prevailing situations, but I know that a lot of folks do.
Still got to keep on the fire.

Thank God for people like you.

The kicker is, (at least in my experience) the browser can become infected (but has always cleared for me by quitting out of the browser.

In order for my harddrive to become infected, I have to make the pro-active choice of downloading AND installing on my machine.

It is still possible for a Mac to be infected obviously, but the infection does not happen because of security holes that allow executables to automatically install. THAT’S the big difference in machines to my mind.

Larue MAC’s time is coming! I have been reading and there is a small cadres of hackers who are releasing some Virus/Trojans for MACs into the wild already.. you just wait they WILL find a WAY… They can’t just let such a challenge go by… It is just easier with PCs because there are so many and much of the server world is running Mikysoft OS…
Just saying my friend(:>))

Yeah, that info seems to leak out every time MS puts out a new OS.

*G*

You greatly misconstrue my comment.

I live in a joyful world that has no issues with viruses.

Why everyone else would not choose that, is beyond me.

I don’t see that as being ‘elitist’.

Smug, maybe.

*G*

I don’t have iPhone, I don’t have a cell phone.

Just a MAC. iMAC.

I’m SURE Apple has virus thoughts spinning, and have had all along.

And when and if MAC’s become a target, I’ll bet Apple has a product on hand immediately, that works better than anything that works for PC’s, given MS grip on shit products with massive windows and gates a virus can drive a truck thru.

*G*

Until I fail, I’m happy.

Don’t hate me cuz I’m happy, MD!! ;-)

*G*

He refers to the ‘evergreening’ issue Eshoo has opened the door to.

A means that’s legalized thru legislation to enable the constant and recurring application of patent protection to drugs to prevent them from EVER going generic.

Well spoken in a gentle geek.

N that’s why MAC’s avoid virus issues, to date.

And likely will, for a while longer.

*G*

And my RC Friend, Apple is likely there, waiting for the hackers to bring their A GAME to the virus table.

And they shall be vanquished.

*G*

And I’m gonna hafta get a new machine for work. I had a machine built in 2000 running Windoze 98. It’s still kickin’ ass for what it’s used for but there ain’t a printer in the world supports 98 anymore and mine is banging on death’s door. Looks like I’m gonna get a close up look at Windoze OS 7. Barf.

I’ve never done any programming on a Mac.

something tells me Senators Hagan, Enzi, and Hatch don’t share your sentiments :D

Fuck ‘em.

Not so wild about becoming fans of these GOPs in order to write on their wall, but that’s what I did. I’m sure they are excited to have new Fans, even if we write stuff about them being in bed with Big PhRMA.

Yep.
And, I don’t hate anyone. Even the bastards. Not my place.

Heh, I got my first taste of Windows ‘98 when it came out, on my job. The upgrades were all available at work, it ran all the desktop publishing software I needed at the time (all which has disappeared ‘cept PhotoShop which I never used).

In ‘01 I got my first PC at home (yes, I’m older), and I started late using computers in ‘88. Took a few years to work it all out using MAC and PC both at the college I worked at and took classes at. And a decade to actually get one at home!

That cheape used PC of some 128K RAMk or less, and who knows how little hard drive space, kept me in the game for half a decade!

I had Norton, I had spyware software. I never had any problems with virus issues. The hard drive crapped out once, and I got another one used, and installed, for cheap.

I got my iMAC in ‘06 I think . . . the ‘98 Windoze PC stands as a monument on a nook in a room to this day! A good machine, a good OS that was likely the best of the line, ever.

I’ve got the monitor at work and another at home and I’m gonna bring the 98 machine home. I had the damn thing built so I’m keepin’ it. I can’t do straight Assembly programming on Vista but I can make 98 sing and dance. I agree that 98 was prolly their best OS. This multigigabyte footprint for an OS is absurd.

It’s the old planned obsolescence thang.

‘98 lasted too long!!! Not enough new sales!

They HAD to out engineer it and compatible software, too.

Sad.

I’m not a geek, but I was HAPPY with that old machine and that OS, as long as I wasn’t worried shitless about virus, which was all the time!!!

I’ve had years of happy now, with no virus worries!

GREATLY comforting! And I don’t have to buy back up drives, yet. But that’s coming, as my hard drive fills up with music . . . sigh. *G*

my hard drive fills up with music

I’m old fashioned. I use a stereo and CDs. If I wanna listen to tunes on da machine I have to sit in the computer room. Not. Gonna. Happen. Bad enough having to sit and listen to speeches and classes on the damn thing.

She hasn’t responded to my inquiries about how she intends to fix the “not including a change to the structure” evergreen loophole.

She did manage to send out a self-laudatory boilerplate “we passed heath care reform” message 3 times.

I’m a constituent in her district.

Eshoo’s amendment has to do with how long clinical data proving safety and efficacy is exclusive to the initial manufacturer.

Patents can run out before exclusivity – patents are 20 years from date of application. If a would be generic manufacturer wants to market a drug they would prefer to not duplicate the clinical trials – that’s expensive and the work has been done already, why re do it when the data already exists?

Blanche Lincoln was a co-sponsor on Schumer’s bio-similars amendment that was rejected in the HELP committee. As I understand it that’s the language Brown is trying to put into the Senate version of HR3692 prior to Conference. While FDL isn’t friendly with Blanche, maybe Arkansans here should write her and ask her to push for the better language she once co-sponsored.

SD, always a pleasure sharing tales with ya . . . I’m gonna move on and up to see what’s up.

In closing my comments to this thread (a great one Mz. Hamsher, as always), I gotta say I’m leaning heavily towards wanting to see and BE in large, mass public non violent demonstrations to pressure our electeds for the change we were promised.

Anyone else of this ilk? Is this a step that might help? Has its time come?

My frustrations know no bounds, anymore. I want change, we ain’t gettin it.

What can be done. for a more immediate impact, to bring about change? Before all our shit collapses in on itself economically, in a depression so wide and deep even the rich are using can openers? What can be done?

Ok, I’m still here.

WMD, that’s a clear difference to me made, thanks.

I guess I’m talking and thinking in old school mode.

Evergreening is all about redoing an existent what, RIGHT? I called it a patent . .

Redoing existent monopoly rights by tweaking ever so slightly the original recipe and patent, to extend monopoly rights and to prevent generics from being constructd from previe trials, which evidence now says WE THE FUCKING PEOPLE paid for with our taxes, and the PhARMA only bought into for some 3% or so AFTER the big bucks were spent on our tax payin backs.

I say, give PhARMA their 3% back, give them some action in the release, and give them a piece of all the action as soon as their 3% is returned. But give them about 1% of all generics, after one year.

I might have the math wrong, lemme see . . help me out.

$1.3 billion of university and tax payer funded research and trials. $400 million invested by Roche.

Ok, 23%? So give the bastids their 23% back, and 3% on top, in the first year or two.

*G*

And regulate this shit like it SHOULD be, but never will be in USA.

And we are SPREADING this crass and abusive capitalism and monopolistic means of controlling the planet?

Sigh.

I’m frustrated I tell ya, and millions are as much if not more than I.

Why is it we can’t get something done, to change things?

Actually when an MD PhD bothered to look at the medical literature he found people with high cholesterol actually live longer, but hey why should that stand between 20 Billion in statin sales each year. If you don’t believe me you can read on it here.
http://healthjournalclub.blogspot.com/2009/10/do-people-with-high-cholesterol-live.html#more

I am surprised to see David Vitter on the side of “Fighting PhRMA”. Does he plan on voting “Yes” for the Health Care Bills? He held town hall meetings in Kenner, Louisiana over the August break with Senator John Barrasso and they had a total “NO fest”, presenting all Republican talking points. David Vitter also wanted to continue the Senate discussion about ACORN ad infinitum as his contribution to delaying passage of the recent unemployment extension benefits.

I’m glad David Vitter is on the side of fighting PhRMA on this issue, but many other actions of his line up with the Republican obstructionists. Maybe he has a relative that is effected by this issue or maybe he will change for the better.

Can anyone shed any light on why David Vitter is surprisingly on the side of fighting PhRMA on this issue?