The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) issued the following statement today regarding a story to be published in tomorrow's New York Times:
"The New York Times has missed another opportunity to explain the real reasons behind increased spending on biotech medications. In the April 14, 2008 piece, 'Co-payments Soar for Drugs with High Prices,' the Times blames employers and plan sponsors for the high cost of biotech treatments. Then, in a piece dated tomorrow, 'Paid to Control Costs, Yet Pushing Some Prices Higher,' the Times blames high prices on those who dispense biotech products and manage related care. Meanwhile, both articles strangely downplay the role of those who actually set prices: the biotech manufacturers. They also ignore the fact that spending has increased because more patients have access to these life-saving medicines than ever before.
"Below are four fundamental issues the Times has either neglected or ignored: