Drug Firms' Sway over BC's New PharmaCare Task Force
Most panel members have strong links to drug industry.
Health minister Abbott: wants drug price review.
When Health Minister George Abbott announced the names of the nine people on his new pharmaceutical task force, the government's press release described the panel's chair, Don Avison, as a lawyer with experience working for several ministries and noted he is president of the University Presidents' Council. But his resume is longer.
The release failed to mention that Avison also sits on the board of the LifeSciences British Columbia, a lobby group formerly known as B.C. Biotech that includes dozens of drug companies.
The oversight is intriguing, considering the strong drug industry flavour of the panel, which is supposed to advise health minister George Abbott on pharmaceutical policy.
At least five of the nine members have clear ties to the drug industry.
"It's a good idea to do this, but the composition of the board is highly debatable," says Adrian Dix, the NDP health critic. "I think it's extraordinary and bizarre the pharmaceutical representatives were put on the panel this way. It's really unfortunate patients are so poorly represented here."
Drug companies give to BC Liberals
The highest profile drug industry representative on the task force is Russell Williams, the president of Canada's Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D), a national lobby group with members from some 50 drug companies and whose directors include the presidents, CEOs and other top officials from 14 of the countries biggest drug manufacturers.
"The job of the president of Canada's Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies is to represent the interests of the pharmaceutical industry," says Dix. "That's what he does."
Other task force members with drug ties include David Hall, a senior vice president in charge of government and community relations for the drug company Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc. According to the B.C. Liberal's most recent annual financial report, Angiotech gave the party $2,990 in 2005.
Many other drug companies are also Liberal donors, including GlaxoSmithKline Inc. ($6,288), Wyeth Canada ($5,488) and Pfizer Inc. ($3,699).
Task force member Susan Paish -- who chaired the three person commission which recommended in an April report hiking the pay for MLAs -- is the chief executive officer of the drugstore chain Pharmasave Drugs (National) Ltd., which owns about 400 pharmacies and "health centres" in Canada.
Then there's Robert Sindelar, the dean of the faculty of pharmaceutical sciences at UBC. He is also, like Avison, a board member for LifeSciences British Columbia, the industry lobby group. The group's website says Sindelar's research on drugs and the human immune system has led to six patents in the U.S., plus several in other countries.
The task force is to advise Abbott on how to get maximum value for the $1 billion a year the province spends on drugs through PharmaCare. Since 2001 when the Liberals were first elected, PharmaCare spending has jumped by nearly 60 per cent.
'Price fixing' alleged
Dix, as it happens, is a type one diabetic who takes insulin to help regulate his blood sugar levels. Four times a day he uses test strips to measure the glucose in his blood. They cost pennies to make, he says, but the company charges $1 per strip.
As an MLA, Dix makes enough money that he pays for the strips himself and figures he's spent around $20,000 on them over the years. The B.C. government, which picks up the tab for people with lower incomes, spends $29 million a year on the strips. "[The manufacturers] are price fixing," Dix says. "They're price fixing at the expense of people with a chronic disease."
That's what makes the industry flavour of the new panel so disturbing, says Dix. "Do you think the representatives of the industry are going to look at that problem and say, 'We should charge half of what we charge now'?"
The government needs someone like researcher and writer Alan Cassels on the panel, Dix says, to advocate for recommendations that are in the best interests of patients and the public.
Pricing policy targeted
The panel is to look at a number of things the industry has long disliked, including reference-based pricing, where the government will pay for the cheapest drug in a class if all work equally well. It will look as well at the Common Drug Review process and the Therapeutics Initiative, a program that in the past has been credited with saving lives by delaying the funding in B.C. for drugs like Vioxx. It will advise Abbott and the government on how to "optimize the decision-making process for what drugs are covered under PharmaCare."
Of course "optimize" will have a different interpretation depending on whether you are the government or a patient buying the drugs, or a store or company selling them, says Colleen Fuller, the president and co-founder of PharmaWatch in Vancouver.
"To have a task force that is set up to address these issues, it's not because of public demand, it's because of the pharmaceutical industry," she says. "There's absolutely no question where they're going with this. The report's probably already written."
Reference pricing now only covers five classes of drugs, she says, but it should be expanded to other kinds. "We've saved so much money because of that program. It's kind of a no brainer it should be expanded to cover other classes of drugs."
That's not something the panel is likely to recommend, she says, adding nobody on it is likely to be a strong advocate for patients. "I'm very agitated about the task force. I see it as a complete cover up for a policy that's going to lead us to a quagmire of higher prices."
'Important stuff'
Health Minister Abbott declined an interview but sent a statement saying the panel members were chosen for their expertise. "This is an expert advisory group that will work together for a short period of time to provide innovative ideas for the Minister's consideration."
Ministry spokespeople could not explain how the government chose task force members, other than to say they tried to get a broad representation of perspectives.
Nor were there responses to questions about what kind of conflict of interest disclosure members had to make and whether there would be opportunities for the public or experts to present information or arguments to the panel.
"This is important stuff, no question," says Steve Morgan, an assistant professor in the University of British Columbia's department of health care and epidemiology and an expert on the causes and consequences of rising drug spending. "My research convinces me policies that pay for evidence-based health care, for what works essentially, are the best opportunities to contain costs in the pharmaceutical sector."
He says he is keen to hear about the consultation process and would like to share his research with the panel. "I hope the outcome of the process is good, and I do hope British Columbians can get involved," he says.
With the task force scheduled to give Abbott its advice by the end of January, it appears there will be little time to hear considered opinions.
Related Tyee stories:
- BC Health Advice: Censored and Skewed?
Libs cancel a critic, open door to pharma lobbyists. - Celebrity Drug Dealers
Selling menopause 'cures' that proved dangerous hasn't change the game. - Now You Can Read What Doctors See
'Open Medicine' lets public view medical research. Med 2.0?
![[Tyee]](http://thetyee.cachefly.net/ui/img/ico_fishie.png){kind=small}
Gary
28-11-2007
There you have it
Proof positive that the Campbell regime is definately pandering to big business instead of listening to the voters who elected his majority.
This panel is exactly the same thing as a police force investigating itself. It stinks.
Is there anyone out there who knows of a way in which this government can declared null and void? If so I would like to hear some suggestions.
dorothy
28-11-2007
The big one
"Is there anyone out there who knows of a way in which this government can declared null and void?"
No. You would have to be a time traveler and go back to before the present North American empire began. And even then, it is doubtful. Our culture/economy, of which the BC scenario is just one subroutine, follows the classical boom-bust pattern of any empire. It didn't even depend on the arrival of the white man, we're completely incidental. Empires have arisen and bitten the dust among these tired old mountains for eons. Ragnarok is coming yet again, unless we evolve in a way never seen before. Aim to give your descendants, who will deal with it, the best possible chance of knowing how to hack it. Educate, educate, educate.
Booker
28-11-2007
birds of a feather
This reminds me of Dick Cheney's advisory board for U.S. energy policy made up entirely of oil executives. It is likely to result in a similar outcome -- a policy that focuses on the needs of business owners rather than the public as a whole. Big surprise. It is important, though, that this Liberal practice be exposed each time they do it, and we can't expect Canwest cover it in any detail.
paul willcocks
28-11-2007
Excellent piece
The pharmaceutical industry naturally works tremendously hard to influence government - its largest customer - directly and indirectly. And the companies are extremely effective in lobbying in wide range of ways, from free health screening for MLAs to funding illness groups.
This panel seems a reasonable idea. The heavy representation from people whose interests are aligned with the industry should worry anyone concerned with effective use of health-care dollars
wstander
28-11-2007
Panel members
Is it too much to expect the story to include the names, and backgrounds, of all nine members? Apparently so.
Andrew MacLeod
28-11-2007
Panel members
My apologies for the oversight on naming the rest of the task force. The full panel as listed in the health ministry’s announcement is:
* Don Avison (Chair), president of the University Presidents' Council;
* George Morfitt (Vice-Chair), former auditor general of British Columbia;
* Gordon Cross, executive director, Regional Grants & Decision Support with Finance and Corporate Services Division, Ministry of Health;
* Paul Gudaitis, executive director, National Pharmaceutical Strategy Secretariat, B.C. Ministry of Health;
* David M. Hall, chief compliance officer and senior vice present of Community Relations, Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc.;
* Susan Paish, Q.C., chief executive officer, Pharmasave Drugs (National) Ltd.;
* Dr. Mark Schonfeld, chief executive officer, BC Medical Association;
* Dr. Robert Sindelar, professor and dean, UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences;
* Russell Williams, president of Canada's Research-based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D).
SharingIsGood
28-11-2007
Thank you, Andrew
Thanks for the informative article, Andrew. As the mainstream media is not publishing this information, how can we get this out to the public. Time and again, this Campbell goverment has proven to be having duplicitous relationship with the citizens of the province - feigning it has good business sense when it is just looking for more ways to be good to (often foreign owned) big business at the expense of the public.
If the BC Liberals were to lose its corporate, big business executives and other wealthy contributors, it would have very little in its coffers. This tells me it is time for reform. It is not the average Joe who is sponsoring them with their few hard-earned loonies.
G West
28-11-2007
Here's some more info on the board - I'll have to split it in tw
* Don Avison (Chair), president of the University Presidents’ Council – Mr. Avison previously held positions with the Government of British Columbia as Deputy Minister of Health, Education and Crown Corporations. A lawyer by training, Mr. Avison has served as the Deputy Minister of Justice with the Government of Northwest Territories and was with the Federal Department of Justice as litigation counsel and as a Director General of the Federal Aboriginal Justice Initiative.
* George Morfitt (Vice-Chair), former auditor general of British Columbia – Mr. Morfitt spent 20 years as a Chief Financial Officer before serving two terms as Auditor General of British Columbia. Mr. Morfitt has held senior executive positions in a number of organizations, including: President, B.C. Institute of Chartered Accountants; Chair, Universities Council of B.C. and Chair, UBC Board of Governors.
* Gordon Cross, executive director, Regional Grants & Decision Support with Finance and Corporate Services Division, Ministry of Health - Mr. Cross is responsible for overseeing all funding allocations and recommendations for health authority budgets, as well as developing and leading the annual health authority budget process.
* Paul Gudaitis, executive director, National Pharmaceutical Strategy Secretariat, B.C. Ministry of Health. – Mr. Gudaitis is the provincial lead for NPS and has worked for the Ministry for the past six years with extensive experience in pharmaceutical policy including Fair PharmaCare.
* David M. Hall, chief compliance officer and senior vice present of Community Relations, Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc. – Mr. Hall is Angiotech's Chief Compliance Officer, Secretary and Treasurer of the company. He is responsible for Angiotech's overall compliance and acts as a key liaison to government and community agencies.
G West
28-11-2007
And here's the rest - from the Govt News Release
* Susan Paish, Q.C., chief executive officer, Pharmasave Drugs (National) Ltd. – Ms. Paish is responsible for the overall strategy and direction for Pharmasave’s nearly 400 community-based retail pharmacies and health centers coast-to-coast. As Managing Partner of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP in Vancouver, Ms. Paish spearheaded the expansion of the firm from one office in Vancouver to international status with nine offices on three continents. She was also named in 2005 to the list of ''Canada’s Most Powerful Women - Top 100''; in 2004 as one of Vancouver’s Most Influential Women in Business; and in 2003 as one of Canada’s Top 25 Women Lawyers.
* Dr. Mark Schonfeld, chief executive officer, BC Medical Association – Dr. Schonfeld is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the BC Medical Association and a member of the visiting staff to Vancouver General Hospital and BC Children's Hospital. He is an Assistant Clinical professor of Medicine, UBC, a member of the Justice Institute Foundation Board and a professional member of the Canadian Medical Association, the BC Medical Association, the American College of Physician Executives, and the Canadian Society of Physician Executives.
* Dr. Robert Sindelar, professor and dean, UBC Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences – Dr. Sindelar's expertise lies in medicinal chemistry, computer-aided drug discovery and design, and pharmaceutical biotechnology. In addition to his leadership role in the Faculty, Dr. Sindelar teaches in the professional pharmacy curriculum in several courses and is an active advocate for the profession of pharmacy.
* Russell Williams, president of Canada’s Research-based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D) – Prior to his appointment as president of Canada's Research-based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D), Mr. Williams represented the riding of Nelligan in the National Assembly of Quebec. As a parliamentary assistant to two ministers of health, Russell Williams was a keen advocate of better policy and better performance in the health field. He has played a key role in numerous non-profit community and health organizations, notably in the fields of human rights, health planning, palliative care and community development.
G West
28-11-2007
Andrew notes
that
The omission certainly can't be for lack of space or any concern with brevity can it?
greengreen
29-11-2007
Andrew, please keep on this.
Andrew, please keep on this. Even if the Sun/Province were to report on this, I would not want to read it.
I am sure that many read Alan Cassell's monthly articles about Big Pharma in Common Ground. HE SHOULD BE ON THE PANEL, not those for whom "the common good" has absolutely no meaning.
Perhaps next we'll have Carole Taylor on a task force to study poverty!