Viewpoints: Concerns that AIDS fight is losing steam; Pharmacy choice bill is praised; Texas sex-ed policies questioned

Sep 23 2011

The Wall Street Journal: Rethinking The Fight Against AIDS
The considerable progress in recent years-;including the 22-fold increase in the number of people receiving anti-retroviral drugs between 2001-2010-;has been due to scientific breakthroughs and to civil society's efforts to keep AIDS on the political agenda. This is now changing. Yet according to the World Health Organization, AIDS-related illnesses are still the biggest killer of women world-wide, and only two out of five people requiring treatment are currently receiving anti-retroviral drugs. UNAIDS's commitment to universal access by 2015 is in serious jeopardy (Bjorn Lomborg and Peter Piot, 9/22). 

Roll Call: FTC Should Block The Express Scripts-Medco Merger To Promote Pharmacy Choice, Competition
A key House Judiciary subcommittee rightly convened a hearing recently to examine a pharmaceutical megamerger that carries enormous risks for patients, the government and other health plan sponsors. Unless the Federal Trade Commission rejects the union of giant pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) Express Scripts and Medco, it will almost certainly harm patients by reducing choice, increasing prescription drug costs and decreasing access to high-quality pharmacy services (B. Douglas Hoey, 9/22).

The New York Times: Mom-And-Pop Pharmacy Bill
Legislation approved by both houses of the New York State Legislature purports to be a benefit to consumers but looks more like a favor to retail drug lobbyists that could actually drive up costs for consumers. Gov. Andrew Cuomo would be wise to veto it (9/22). 

The Houston Chronicle: Let's Reconsider Abstinence-Only Sex Ed
Texans have much to be proud of. But a glance at our statistics on teen pregnancy gives one little to cheer about. They are abysmal…. A number of our state lawmakers have tried to pass bills requiring medically accurate sex education in school programs. It's past time for their colleagues, who have lavishly funded abstinence-only programs, to support the majority of their taxpayers who favor more effective programs in our schools (9/22).