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ST. LOUIS NEWS TODAY - Sunday, December 19, 2004
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Vast Majority of Americans Trust Generic Medications
ST. LOUIS, (PRNewswire) December 19, 2004 - The vast majority of Americans trust that generic medications are as safe and effective as their brand-name counterparts, according to a new national survey sponsored by Rx Outreach. This year marks a milestone for generic prescription medications which, for the first time, account for more than 50 percent of all prescriptions in the United States.
"Clearly, consumers are gaining confidence that generic drugs provide the same medicine and the same results as their brand name counterparts," said Generic Pharmaceutical Association President and CEO Kathleen Jaeger. "This survey shows that more Americans recognize that generic drugs are improving lives for less."
Rx Outreach is the first nationwide assistance program offering savings on FDA-approved generic prescription medications. The purpose of the survey was to gauge consumers' knowledge about and trust in generic medications.
Most of those surveyed trusted the safety and effectiveness of generic medications:
- 85 percent of respondents agreed that generic medications are as safe as their brand-name counterparts.
- Nearly the same number (83 percent) believed generic medications are as effective as brand-name counterparts.
When asked if they knew whether drugs their physicians prescribed for them were generic or brand-name drugs, patients were fairly split.
- 53 percent said they always knew if they were getting a brand or
generic; 47 percent were not always aware.
With all of the policy debate on drug importation, the survey also queried respondents about U.S. versus Canadian prices on generic medications.
- 44 percent incorrectly believed that generic medications are less
expensive in Canada than in the United States.
- More than a third (37 percent) didn't know how U.S. and Canadian prices
compared on generic medications.
- 20 percent thought that generic drugs were cheaper or about the same
price in the U.S. compared to Canada.
Consumer attorney Guerry R. Thornton, Jr., an Atlanta lawyer who handles Vioxx cases, favors new regulatory reforms in the wake of news about heart attack risks with Celebrex, Pfizer's blockbuster drug.
In a statement, Thornton said, "The pace of drug safety issues raises more concern about the effectiveness of the FDA," he says. "When drugs show health risks after they are approved, consumers are correct to ask: Are we being used as guinea pigs to serve the profit motive of the pharmaceutical industry?"
Thornton will be lobbying Washington for new drug approval laws. He thinks the system places to much emphasis on perceived benefits and not enough on the risks. "Like Vioxx, maybe the Celebrex review should have found that heart risks outweighed its benefits. The FDA relies on drug company data, and this needs to change," says Thornton.
The risk of heart attacks has long been a concern related to Cox-2 inhibitors like Celebrex and Vioxx. "The trial bar acted quickly in the Vioxx controversy and should use its influence to help bring about reform," says Thornton. "Certain senators favor protection for FDA approved drugs. Such laws should not provide a safe haven for negligent drug companies."
Today, Pfizer announced findings that indicate a 2.5% increased risk of heart attacks in Celebrex users. In 2004, 19.8 million prescriptions were filled for Celebrex. Pfizer's sales have reached over $2 billion per year.
Attorney Nixon Proposes No Call Protection for Cell Phones
KANSAS CITY, (SLFP.com) December 19, 2004 - Attorney General Jay Nixon was in Kansas City last week, along with state Rep. David Pearce, R-Warrensburg, to announce legislation that would allow business and residential cell phones to sign onto Missouri's No Call list. The state No Call list already includes more than 1.7 million residential telephone numbers, but Nixon says the law leaves a big gap in protecting cell phone users.
"The number of cell phones in Missouri has increased by almost 60 percent in the four years that we've had a No Call law," Nixon said. "Mobile phones have moved from being a luxury to being a staple in most households. Many Missourians don't want to get telemarketing calls on their cell phones any more than they want to get those calls at home.'
"More people than ever now have cell phones. Some people, in fact, have only a cell phone," Pearce said. "It's important that they be given protection from unwanted telemarketing calls if they want it."
Rep. Pearce sponsored a similar bill during the 2004 General Assembly to protect cell phone users from telemarketing calls. That bill was endorsed by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and the Missouri Broadcasters Association. Pearce's bill for the 2005 General Assembly is House Bill 89.
The proposed legislation also would address text-message spam, which are unsolicited commercial messages transmitted to the screens of cell phones, by protecting cell phones on the No Call list from receiving this kind of spam. These ads shift the advertising cost to the recipient and need to be covered by Missouri's No Call law, Nixon said.
"This unwanted text-message spam amounts to a collect call from a telemarketer," Nixon said. "The best way to fight this spam is to stop the call before it's ever made, and protecting against these nuisances in the No Call law will help do that."
Under most cell phone plans that offer text messaging, the customer is charged on the basis of how many text messages are sent and received, or is limited to a certain number of text messages before extra charges apply. Text message spam places an unfair cost on the consumers who receive the ads, Nixon said.
Telemarketers covered by the No Call law who make telemarketing calls to numbers on the list can face legal action, including monetary sanctions of up to $5,000 per violation.
Sprint and Nextel to Combine in Merger of Equals
KANSAS CITY, (PRNewswire) December 15, 2004 - Sprint and Nextel Communications, Inc. have announced that their boards of directors have unanimously approved a definitive agreement for a merger of equals.
The combination will create America's premier communications company - a leading wireless carrier augmented by a global IP network that will offer consumer, business and government customers compelling new broadband wireless and integrated communications services. The new company, which will be called Sprint Nextel, also intends to spin off to its shareholders Sprint's local telecommunications business following the merger.
Sprint Nextel will have its executive headquarters in Reston, Va., and its operational headquarters in Overland Park, Kan. The new company's common stock will be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The merger is expected to close in the second half of 2005 and is subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals, as well as other customary closing conditions.
Gary D. Forsee, currently chairman and chief executive officer of Sprint, will become president and chief executive officer of Sprint Nextel. Timothy M. Donahue, currently president and chief executive officer of Nextel, will become chairman of the new company.
"This merger positions Sprint Nextel for greater success than either company could have achieved alone," said Gary Forsee. "The combination of Sprint and Nextel builds strength on strength. It will be a dynamic next-generation communications company, the provider of choice for businesses, government and consumers, and the only U.S. primarily wireless investment opportunity. Nextel is recognized as a leader in profitability, customer loyalty, revenue per customer, push to talk and marketing to businesses and government. Sprint excels in the consumer business and in providing advanced wireless data services and global IP voice and data networks. Together, we will be positioned to provide the high-value, integrated communications solutions customers increasingly demand."
The combined Sprint Nextel is expected to deliver operating cost and capital investment synergies with an estimated net present value of more than $12 billion.
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