In the warped world of prescription drug pricing, generic drugs can cost more than branded ones, old drugs can be relaunched at astronomical prices, and low-cost options are shut out of the market. In Drugs, Money and Secret Handshakes, Robin Feldman shines a light into the dark corners of the pharmaceutical industry to expose a web of shadowy deals in which higher-priced drugs receive favorable treatment and patients are channeled toward the most expensive medicines. At the center of this web are the highly secretive middle players who establish coverage levels for patients and negotiate with drug companies. By offering lucrative payments to these middle players (as well as to doctors and hospitals), drug companies ensure that inexpensive drugs never gain traction. This system of perverse incentives has delivered the kind of exorbitant drug prices—and profits—that everyone loves except for those who pay the bills.
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Randye Kaye is a national voice talent and actress, also currently heard as part-time newscaster and classical music host on NPR affiliates WSHU-FM and AM. Prior to that, while raising her children, she was a full-time morning personality for a top-rated Connecticut radio station in addition to her voice-over, on-camera, and theater work.
Jim Seybert has worked as a radio announcer, talk show host, and television producer. He also spent many years as business development vice president at an association of independent retail stores. Today, he maintains a private consulting practice and works with companies in many industries, helping them find new ways to do things. A frequent speaker and seminar leader, he has shared his ideas and expertise with the National Center for Database Marketing, Direct Marketing Association, Christian Management Association, Gospel Music Association, and Biola University’s Executive MBA program, where he is a frequent lecturer.