"This is literally a life-and-death issue that must be handled with great care."
-- Celgene
Was he talking about warning patients about potential side effects? Pulling a drug off the market? No. The life-and-death situation has to do with scientists at Celgene's competitors.
"How kind," you say? Not really.
Generic drugmakers like Teva Pharmaceuticals
I'm all for pharmaceutical companies protecting their brand, but they seem to have crossed the line here. Celgene's safety-program, System for Thalidomide Education and Prescribing Safety (S.T.E.P.S.), for instance, is there to prevent use of the drug by patients who shouldn't be taking Thalomid -- people like pregnant women -- because the drug causes birth defects. But really, scientists in laboratories are probably smart enough not to use it, whether they're pregnant or not.
Some of the blame probably belongs with the FDA. The rules setting up such safety programs as S.T.E.P.S. aren't exactly clear on whether or not generic drugmakers can buy those drugs. The branded drugmakers interpret them one way, the generic makers another. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories
I hope the FDA remembers that branded drugs aren't cheap, which makes this dispute no less of a life-and-death situation for some low-income families.
That’s my take. What do you think? Just part of doing business, or have the pharmaceutical companies stepped over the line by using safety issues to block competition? Let me know in the comments section below.