Kerby Anderson

As Republicans in the House and Senate move forward with the possible repeal of Obamacare, Democrats have developed a plan to distract lawmakers and the public. They believe they can sidetrack the attempt by demanding Republicans focus time and attention on prescription drugs.

A number of Democratic senators outlined steps they believe must be done to control the price of prescription drugs. Their ideas include setting prices for drugs, imposing price controls, and allowing bureaucrats to determine costs. I think it is unlikely any of those ideas will make it into a repeal and replace bill.

But focusing some attention on prescription drugs is an important part of the discussion. Much of the cost of health care for patients comes from the pills that are prescribed by their doctors. Drug therapy is convenient but also often costly.

People not only face “sticker shock” from their insurance policy premiums, but some also face “sticker shock” over the cost of their prescription drugs. Of course, the two issues are obviously related.

Congress needs to look at the way the FDA approves drugs. Currently there is a great incentive for the FDA to drag its feet and take years to approve a new drug. Even if the drug is very effective, the FDA and the drug companies will get lots of complaints if there are also unexpected side effects.

So FDA often will engage in what is called “nestoring.” This verb comes from Dr. John Nestor who was a regulator for the FDA. I have written about him before because of the fact that he never approved a new drug. He simply reasoned that none of the drugs submitted to his division of the FDA were worth the risk.

Congress should investigate if it is possible to streamline the process of drug approval and reduce the regulatory barriers. Protecting the public from dangerous drugs should be a priority, but getting life-saving drugs to market in a timely and less expensive manner should also be a priority.