This
paper researches the
pharmaceutical industry and answers the question of whether the costs of
pharmaceuticals in the United States are too high, and whether the cost of pharmaceuticals should be regulated. Further, this work attempts to answer the question of whether the Federal
Drug Administration (FDA) is adequately protecting U.S. citizens from unsafe drugs and whether the U.S. Congress has been co-opted by the pharmaceutical industry. Finally, this work addresses the affordability of the new pharmaceutical benefit that was recently enacted under the Medicare Modernization Act. Paper Outline: Statement of Thesis Introduction Literature Review Parallel Trading - Arbitrage of Pharmaceuticals Case Study of Prescription Drug Movement by FDA and U.S. Customs Medicaid's Prescription Plan - Passed April 2004 Putting Two and Two Together Case Study in Relation to Costs-Markup by Medicare Clinical Trials Report Summary and Conclusion Bibliography