Ralph Nader
James Love
June 22, 2001
Peter Dolan, President And CEO
Dear Mr. Dolan:
I am writing to ask that Bristol-Myers Squibb explain to the American
public why it charges US consumers higher prices for is products that it
obtains in Australia, Canada, France, Italy, New Zealand, the United
Kingdom, and other foreign markets. As is well known in your industry,
BMS benefits richly from a plethora of US programs, including for
example the US tax credits for R&D, the orphan drug tax credit, the US
tax credit for manufacturing products in Puerto Rico, subsidized loans
from the US Import-Export bank, the pediatric R&D patent extension, and
a variety of R&D non-patent regular exclusivity provisions.
BMS has also benefited more than most from the massive R&D support
funded through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other federal
agencies. BMS products in the cancer and HIV area have benefited
enormously from federally funding of R&D, including such products as
Hydroxyurea, Bleomycin, Lomustine, Carmustine, Cisplatin, Cisplatin
VP-16, Ifosfamide, Carboplatin, VM-26, Taxol, DDI and D4T. As you
know, the US government generally is not compensated for subsidizing the
costs of clinical trials on these drugs, and does not seek high
royalties for licenses of government owned patents. For example, the
National Cancer Institute received no royalties from its 1990 CRADA for
the commercialization of Taxol, a drug that has generated billions in
dollars in revenues for BMS.
Despite the generosity and sacrifices of the US taxpayers, BMS, a
corporation charted in the U.S., apparently takes the attitude that it
can charge the highest prices in the world here, in the very country
where you and your executives live, and where US workers are struggling
to obtain health care and high health care costs make our country less
competitive in the global economy. How can you reconcile this policy
with your patriotism and loyalty to your fellow citizens?
We look forward to your considered response.
Sincerely,
Ralph Nader
James Love
P.O. Box 19312
Washington, DC 20036
P.O. Box 19367
Washington, DC 20036
Bristol-Myers Squibb
345 Park Ave
New York, NY 10154
(fax)212-546-4020
P.O. Box 19312
Washington, DC 20036
P.O. Box 19367
Washington, DC 20036