DrugWonks blog to debate drug policies of the day

SAN FRANCISCO –The Pacific Research Institute, a free-market think tank based in California, announced today the establishment of the Center for Medicines in the Public Interest (http://www.rxcmpi.org/), a clearing-house for up-to-the-minute analysis on the policies that affect the development, accessibility, and safety of pharmaceuticals.

“Prescription drugs are probably the most highly regulated, government-controlled products available to consumers,” said Peter Pitts, PRI senior fellow and director of CMPI. “Many competing interests try to influence the public’s ability to make informed choices about the medicines they use. Some even argue for more government intervention. Americans should be concerned about the effects such policies have on their health.”

To help Americans become better informed, the CMPI created a policy council comprised of leading experts from around the world. The council will present rigorous and compelling analysis of the most critical issues affecting drug policy today: issues that include drug importation, counterfeiting, direct-to-consumer advertising, and the policies of the Food and Drug Administration.

The centerpiece of the CMPI is a drug policy web log – www.drugwonks.com – which the Center will launch next month. The blog’s featured commentators – policy experts, physicians, scientists, and regulators – will help to inform the public debate and promote policy solutions that advance public health. Features will include links to media commentary, white papers, and speeches, as well as commentary on breaking news. The Center will also host periodic panel discussions and other public events.

Peter Pitts, CMPI director and chief drugpundit, is a former Associate Commissioner for External Relations at the Food and Drug Administration under Commissioners Mark McClellan and Les Crawford. He is also a senior fellow in health care studies at the Pacific Research Institute and Senior Vice President for Global Health Affairs at Manning, Selvage & Lee.

CMPI is a project of the Pacific Research Institute (PRI). Founded in 1979, PRI’s mission is to champion freedom, opportunity, and private initiative by advancing free-market policy solutions.

The Institute is a non-partisan, non-profit educational charity. Because PRI’s trustees believe that all financial support should be voluntary, PRI neither solicits nor accepts government funding. Its contributors consist primarily of foundations and individuals, with some corporate support, as described in its 2004 annual report. PRI does solicit and accept donations from corporations in the health care industry. In order to avoid conflicts of interest, PRI staff and external authors adhere to a Code of Practice.

###