Giuliani's Healthcare Advisor Says To Thailand: "Quit Thievin' Our Patents!!"

Okay, the headline is a lot more simplistic than what the post is really about. But I thought it was funny.

Anyhow, The Hill has an op-ed today from Sally C. Pipes, the president and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute, a research institute partially funded by the pharmaceutical industry. Oh, did I mention she's Rudy Giuliani's healthcare advisor? In the aforementioned op-ed, she admonishes Rep. Tom Allen (D-ME) and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) for sponsoring a resolution commending the government of Thailand for allowing for the manufacture of generic versions of branded anti-retrovirals.

Of course, the entire piece reads as thinly disguised partisan tripe and I have a real tough time taking it seriously given her affiliations. However, where is the counterpoint to this op-ed? Either The Hill is doing us a disservice or they're playing the good showman and keeping us waiting.

What do you think? Should we take this seriously and accept the usual argument of "stolen patents will destroy the pharmaceutical industry's innovation?" Or is this really a case of drops in a bucket considering how much pharmaceutical companies make from drugs sold in developed nations?

WHOA! BACK FROM HIATUS!!! With a new article to read!

I know, crazy right??

Anyway, the New York Times today has an article regarding the debate over the distribution of mosquito nets for the prevention of malaria in poor countries. The article touches on WHO's new malaria czar and his blunt declaration that the social marketing of these bednets is now over.

Distribution of Nets Splits Malaria Fighters [NYT] (Thanks Rachel!)

Also, I'm planning on posting more now, but the newslinks section is being scrapped, because who wants a blog of all links and no real content?