Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Obama Orders FDA to Reduce Drug Shortages (Executive Order)
FoxNews.com ^ | October 31, 2011 | unattributed

Posted on 10/31/2011 1:56:39 PM PDT by Hunton Peck

Acting once again without Congress, President Obama on Monday was directing the Food and Drug Administration to take steps to reduce drug shortages that administration officials say have placed patients at risk and led to price gouging.

The president signed an executive order -- his fifth in a week -- instructing the FDA to take action absent congressional approval.

Last year, the FDA reported 178 drug shortages -- mainly cancer drugs, anesthetics, electrolytes and emergency room drugs -- and the agency says it continues to see an increase in shortages this year. The White House also announced Obama's support for House and Senate legislation that would require drug makers to notify the FDA six months ahead of a potential shortage. Under current regulations, drug manufactures are only required to notify the FDA if medically necessary drugs are being discontinued. Notification of shortages is strictly voluntary.

In remarks before he signed the order, Obama said drug shortages have nearly tripled over the past five years while Congress has foundered.

"Even though the FDA has successfully prevented an actual crisis, this is one of those slow-rolling problems that could end up resulting in disaster for patients and health care facilities all across the country," he said. "Congress has been trying since February to do something about this. It has not yet been able to get it done. And it is the belief of this administration ... that we can't wait for action on the Hill."

The executive action is part of an overarching push by the White House to portray Obama, who is facing ...

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Business/Economy; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: drugshortages; executiveorder; fda; healthcare; obama; obamacare
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100101-108 next last
To: Hunton Peck

I know how they’ll do it!

Want to lower unemployment numbers? Redefine “unemployment.”

Want to lower inflation? Redefine the inflation metrics.

All they have to is redefine “shortage!”


61 posted on 10/31/2011 5:14:18 PM PDT by MV=PY (The Magic Question: Who's paying for it?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: hotshu

The power of the executive order.


62 posted on 10/31/2011 5:22:49 PM PDT by ConjunctionJunction
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 60 | View Replies]

To: Hunton Peck
Can the House ban obama from executive orders? He needs a timeout.
63 posted on 10/31/2011 5:26:37 PM PDT by Irish Eyes
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hunton Peck

“Couldn’t find any info in the article on how the FDA is supposed to do this, but I’m guessing it’s not by any common-sense approach like reducing regulations, shortening approval times, or anything else that might actually be effective. “

Nope based upon what the articles says, it looks like their just going to mandate the manufacturers tell the FDA that their will be a shortage 6 months in advance.

The mandate may be imposable to comply with. But most likely the Drug company will be forced to reduce sales so that the price so so high that demand will be consistently low enough that they can easily account for surges when they come and go.

If they do that then your looking at permanent artificial shortages.


64 posted on 10/31/2011 5:34:57 PM PDT by Monorprise
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hunton Peck

The reason for the drug shortages is that companies lack proper incentives to produce sufficient quantities of these cheap generic, injected anticancer drugs. That’s essentially because of government price controls.

What Dictator obama’s executive order is designed to do is to accuse the companies of price-gouging that doesn’t exist, and other punitive government regulations that cannot solve the problem.

But the Dictator is using this to play to the Democrat base, to “show” how “evil” the drug companies are, and how “ineffective” Congress is. But even if obama could order the companies to produce the drugs at a loss, they would just go out of business and the shortages would be even worse.

Cancer societies, oncologists, and patient groups should protest this executive order long and loud, and demand market-oriented solutions to the problem—the only approach that will work.

obama lies while cancer patients die!!!!

(But he wants them to die—to “save costs”. That’s the Daschle/Emanuel/Berwick approach!!!!)


65 posted on 10/31/2011 5:42:19 PM PDT by Honorary Serb (Kosovo is Serbia! Free Srpska! Abolish ICTY!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Roos_Girl

Good grief. It’s even worse than I thought.


66 posted on 10/31/2011 5:52:45 PM PDT by Hunton Peck (See my FR homepage for a list of businesses that support WI Gov. Scott Walker)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 46 | View Replies]

To: buccaneer81

What I was joking about was the notion of government regulators doing anything productive, especially if it involved anything resembling actual work. But you’re right that a scenario of them taking control of production and distribution decisions is neither implausible nor funny at all.


67 posted on 10/31/2011 6:02:23 PM PDT by Hunton Peck (See my FR homepage for a list of businesses that support WI Gov. Scott Walker)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 41 | View Replies]

To: Hunton Peck

What is he going to do stop his feet hold his breath?


68 posted on 10/31/2011 6:05:46 PM PDT by guitarplayer1953 (Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to GOD! Thomas Jefferson)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]




Click the Pic             Thank you, JoeProBono

Gary Does Really Well with His Kids One-on-One

Follow the Exciting Adventures of Gary the Snail!


Abolish FReepathons
Go Monthly

If every FReeper and Lurker gave just $7 a month
No More FReepathons!

69 posted on 10/31/2011 6:13:51 PM PDT by TheOldLady (FReepmail me to get ON or OFF the ZOT LIGHTNING ping list)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: PGR88
I feel its kind of like how Mao ordered the Chinese bureaucracy to squeeze more grain out of the already starving peasants.

"The beatings will continue until morale improves!"
70 posted on 10/31/2011 6:15:05 PM PDT by bamahead (Few men desire liberty; most men wish only for a just master. -- Sallust)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: denydenydeny

And how many pharmaceutical factories does the FDA have? Oh, right. None. So who is the EO directed at?


71 posted on 10/31/2011 6:44:26 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Never believe anything in politics until it has been officially denied.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Pharmboy

Hmmm. It appears the everything has gone to shit under Obama.


72 posted on 10/31/2011 6:46:50 PM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Never believe anything in politics until it has been officially denied.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Hunton Peck
This executive order looks like a plausible first step in that direction. The Dems will play the "it's for the children" card, then position the media to declare the industry a wholly owned subsidiary of Koch Brothers Inc, bent on making the 99% suffer.

If Obama gets reelected bet on it.

73 posted on 10/31/2011 6:49:25 PM PDT by buccaneer81 (ECOMCON)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: matt1234

Exactlty. Signing a piece of paper will make the trains run on time, right?


74 posted on 10/31/2011 7:14:13 PM PDT by InvisibleChurch ( go in peace , serve the Lord)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: knarf

“I don’t know if this is true or not, but it seems to me we’re not far away from being third world.”

You know, it wasn’t too long ago when I read the Soviet Union described as “a third-world country with nuclear weapons”...it’s not so funny now.


75 posted on 10/31/2011 7:15:49 PM PDT by The Antiyuppie ("When small men cast long shadows, then it is very late in the day.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Hunton Peck

If a person is dying of cancer and the pharmaceutical industry isn’t producing a needed drug, I’d probably be very grateful that some hack on the dole of taxpayers who is being paid well to provide for the general well being of the nation actually got off his dead axx and did something.

Why aren’t the Republicans screaming about this instead of allowing Obama to get an upper hand? That’s my question.

But that’s just me and my habit of being critical of the idiots in government regardless of their politics.

I’m in favor of sweeping out every last one of them until they start thinking of country first instead of their own job and getting more power. They are being paid to act in the nation’s interest not their Party’s interest.


76 posted on 10/31/2011 7:19:08 PM PDT by apoliticalone (Honest govt. that operates in the interest of US sovereignty and the people, not global $$$)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hunton Peck

What is this? More government involvement in industry? Hey, we all saw how well that worked for the home mortgage industry, didn’t we.

Pretty much destroyed that industry, a lot of our savings, and our jobs.

Now they are going to destroy the evil pharmaceutical industry. Boy, I sure feel better. Hope everyone is stocking up on anything more potent than aspirin.

And that too.


77 posted on 10/31/2011 8:09:15 PM PDT by rlmorel (9/11: Aggression is attracted to weakness like sharks are to blood, and we were weak. We still are.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hunton Peck

This is the approach that worked so well in the old Soviet Union.


78 posted on 10/31/2011 8:10:02 PM PDT by Interesting Times (WinterSoldier.com. SwiftVets.com. ToSetTheRecordStraight.com.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DManA
"...How many years before they’ve screwed this industry up so badly that people start demanding it be nationalized..."

"DING! DING! DING! What do we have for him, Johnny?"

79 posted on 10/31/2011 8:16:39 PM PDT by rlmorel (The Rats won't be satisfied until every industry in the USA is in ruins and ripe for nationalization)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]

To: apoliticalone
"...If a person is dying of cancer and the pharmaceutical industry isn’t producing a needed drug, I’d probably be very grateful that some hack on the dole of taxpayers who is being paid well to provide for the general well being of the nation actually got off his dead axx and did something..."

apoliticalone, is it your view that the government should be involved directly in mandating what drugs should be produced, in what quantity and at what price?

80 posted on 10/31/2011 8:19:43 PM PDT by rlmorel (The Rats won't be satisfied until every industry in the USA is in ruins and ripe for nationalization)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 76 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100101-108 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson