KTC> "A modern capitalist system cannot sustain itself as a benefit to society without a steeply graduated income tax."
And,
I fully agree with a graduated income tax.
But, that ain't what we got today. Today we got
so many exemptions and loopholes many of the rich
do not pay taxes . . . We got give-away programs
such that many of the 'poor' have negative income
tax . . . and we wonder why so many folks feel
like rats in a maze.
Point in case of 'regulation' causing folks grief . .
According to this article, a drug called 'Colchicine'
used to have variations made by several companies
and the price was reasonable - especially in light of
how much good it did for so many folks. Then the
FDA decided that only one company was going to be
allowed to make the stuff . . and the price skyrocketed
from some$68.49 for a three month supply to $527.49.
http://www.slate.com/id/2289616/
A Giant Pain in the Wallet
How drug companies are making crucial, common drugs up to 100 times more expensive.
A drug called colchicine is all that keeps some 2 million American gout patients from suffering debilitating pain in their toes, elbows, wrists, and fingers. Doctors have prescribed the compound, derived from the seeds of the autumn crocus, for centuries. But patients who take colchicine woke up with a new symptom recently: a giant pain in the wallet.
Until January, colchicine was sold by many companies and cost as little as 10 cents a pill. Now it's available only under the trade name Colcrys, sold by a Philadelphia company called URL Pharma—for five dollars per pill.* The colchicine story, and a few others like it, have provoked ire among some patients and doctors about an otherwise praiseworthy effort by the FDA to get rid of old, untested, potentially harmful drugs.
Take the case of 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17OHP), a synthetic hormone designed to prevent preterm births in pregnant women. An unapproved form of the drug was previously formulated at specialized pharmacies. In February, after K-V Pharmaceutical Co. submitted its version of the drug to rigorous testing, FDA approved the new drug under the trade name Makena. Pharmacies that try to sell their own forms of 170HP now risk FDA enforcement action such as fines or raids.
The drug's retail price jumped from $15 to $1,440 per treatment, a shock to obstetricians and their patients, as well as to those who write checks at insurance companies and Medicaid. The tens of thousands of women who receive the treatment each year typically require 20 injections during the course of their pregnancies.
(Article does continue.)
Zim.
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