Tuesday, September 30, 2003

From the Twin Cities (MN) Business Journal:
Hatch criticizes pharmaceutical industry; files lawsuit
Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch on Tuesday announced legal action against GlaxoSmithKline, the world's second largest drug manufacturer, and issued a report detailing alleged abuses by the pharmaceutical industry in general.

Hatch wants GlaxoSmithKline, based in Philadelphia, to produce documents regarding an alleged threat of a boycott of Canadian wholesalers and pharmacies if they sell medication to Minnesotans.

From WCCO (MN):
Hatch Joins In Criticism Of Pharmaceutical Industry
Attorney General Mike Hatch has become the latest Minnesota office holder to blast the pharmaceutical industry, which he accuses of leveraging political influence to artificially boost profits.

Calling the industry "the other drug cartel," Hatch complains in a report released Tuesday that it uses public funds to develop new drugs and then uses its profits to hire lobbyists to fight industry regulation and price controls.

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Mass. City Looks to Protest Drug Costs
The mayor proposed Tuesday that the city's employee pension fund sell its $6 million investment in pharmaceutical stocks, escalating Springfield's protest of high prescription drug costs.

``It's a small amount of money, but it could send a big message to Wall Street and Washington that prescription drug prices have to be lowered,'' Mayor Michael Albano said. Pharmaceutical stocks are about 2.6 percent of the city's $223 million pension fund.

From the Alameda (CA) Times Star:
Storefront selling Canadian drugs shuts down operation
A storefront in San Leandro that sold prescription drugs from Canada to hundreds of Bay Area seniors abruptly closed Friday, citing financial concerns.

The American Drug Club of Oakland will be run via fax and Internet until another storefront operator can be found, according to a company spokesman.

From the Canadian Press:
Arthritis rates climbing, treatment lagging, says Health Canada report
Arthritis afflicts nearly four million Canadians - or 16 per cent of the population - and the rates are climbing steadily, says a major report on the disease.

Two thirds of the victims are women and nearly three out of five are younger than 65, says the study released Tuesday by Health Canada. It says the impact of the disease has been underestimated, and that victims have trouble getting access to the drugs and treatments they need.

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