Google Reaches $500 Million Settlement With Feds

[ElNono]

"As expected (http://science.slashdot.org/story/11/05/13/0439218/Google-Expected-to-Settle-Over-Drug-Ads-to-the-Tune-of-500M), Google will pay the government $500 million to settle a criminal probe (http://www.cnbc.com/id/44256973) into whether or not they profited from the display of ads from illegal online pharmacies. Google had vaguely referenced its settlement plans in a quarterly filing last May after charges that ads from rogue pharmacies were still appearing on Google despite a change in advertising policy. Drug advertising generates lucrative profits of about $1 billion (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/13/google-ads-illegal-drugs-pharmacies-justice-department_n_861508.html), leading critics to charge that companies like Google aren't vigilant enough in policing their advertisers."

[boutons_deux]

FDA just screwing Human-Americans by forcing them to buy from BigPharma at exorbitant prices, WAY above what, eg, Human-Frenchmen pay, because France, Germany, etc negotiate with BigPharma as single buyer, a position explicitly ruled illegal by dubya/Repugs, typical Repug corporate socialism/freebie.

Human-Americans essentially subsidize low drug prices for foreigners.

[TeyshaBlue]

FDA just screwing Human-Americans by forcing them to buy from BigPharma at exorbitant prices, WAY above what, eg, Human-Frenchmen pay, because France, Germany, etc negotiate with BigPharma as single buyer, a position explicitly ruled illegal by dubya/Repugs, typical Repug corporate socialism/freebie.

You keep saying this as if it were somehow true. It's not. The Govt. negotiates drug contracts with Pharma and they use a big fucking stick to do it.

[ElNono]

You keep saying this as if it were somehow true. It's not. The Govt. negotiates drug contracts with Pharma and they use a big fucking stick to do it.

They do? Honest question. I think the VA does, but I thought Medicare wasn't allowed to since the Part D was instituted.

[boutons_deux]

No, dubya and Repugs passed regulation/rule (which they supposedly hate) that forbids gov from negotiating drug prices as single buyer for Medicare/Medicaid. I don't know about VA and military.

Barry only got an $80B drug discount over TEN YEARS to buy off BigPharma during the health care reform deal.

(we do know BigPharma drugs our soldiers to the gills, as they do young children).

[TeyshaBlue]

They do? Honest question. I think the VA does, but I thought Medicare wasn't allowed to since the Part D was instituted.

The VA/DOD does. That's the Fed bargaining as a single payer.

And they play brutal....makes Walmart look like a buncha pansies.

If a drug company didn't honor the contract price, the VA would pick out a very expensive drug from that company and put it on contract for $1 until that company corrected it's pricing.:lol

[ElNono]

The VA/DOD does. That's the Fed bargaining as a single payer.

And they play brutal....makes Walmart look like a buncha pansies.

If a drug company didn't honor the contract price, the VA would pick out a very expensive drug from that company and put it on contract for $1 until that company corrected it's pricing.:lol

Yeah, I'm aware of the VA. It's a small part of the whole pie though.

I wish they would extend that to Medicare also, and get rid of the subsidized Part D shit.

[boutons_deux]

and kill Medicare Advantage, a Repug gift to for-profit insurers, costing the govt 10%+ than Medicare.