Scaring Seniors: The AARP Drug-Price Reports

Online registration for this event is closed. Walk-in registrations will be accepted.

For five years, the redoubtable seniors advocacy organization AARP has published quarterly reports on the prices of brand-name drugs. These reports steadfastly announce that pharmaceutical prices have risen far more rapidly than inflation, thus increasing the financial burden on seniors--a puzzling conclusion, as many of the most expensive drugs are now available to seniors as far-cheaper generics. At this event, Murray Aitken, vice president of IMS Health, the world's largest source of drug-price and sales data, and MIT professor Ernst Berndt will explain why their research shows that average drug prices for seniors have declined, not increased, by more than 20 percent. AEI economist John E. Calfee will moderate.

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About the Author

 

John E.
Calfee
  • Economist John E. Calfee (1941-2011) studied the pharmaceutical industry and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with the economics of tobacco, tort liability, and patents. He previously worked at the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Economics. He had also taught marketing and consumer behavior at the business schools of the University of Maryland at College Park and Boston University. While Mr. Calfee's writings are mostly on pharmaceutical markets and FDA regulation, his academic articles and opinion pieces covered a variety of topics, from patent law and tort liability to advertising and consumer information. His books include Prices, Markets, and the Pharmaceutical Revolution (AEI Press, 2000) and Biotechnology and the Patent System (AEI Press, 2007). Mr. Calfee wrote regularly for AEI's Health Policy Outlook series. He testified before Congress and federal agencies on various topics, including alcohol advertising; biodefense vaccine research; international drug prices; and FDA oversight of drug safety.

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Events Calendar
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    FRI
Monday, June 17, 2013 | 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Brainwashed: The use and misuse of neuroscience

Join New York Times columnist David Brooks as he engages the authors of “Brainwashed: The Seductive Appeal of Mindless Neuroscience” Sally Satel and Scott Lilienfeld, in a discussion of popular neuroscience.

Event Registration is Closed
Tuesday, June 18, 2013 | 9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
The next digital crossroads: Regulating competition in the Internet ecosystem

Please join us for a preview of the revised and updated edition of Jonathan Nuechterlein and Philip Weiser’s influential 2005 book “Digital Crossroads: Telecommunications Law and Policy in the Internet Age” (MIT Press).

Event Registration is Closed
Tuesday, June 18, 2013 | 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Economic liberty and human flourishing: Perspectives from political philosophy

At this event, three expert panelists will examine this relationship from the perspectives of influential philosophers such as Aristotle, Alexis de Tocqueville, and representatives of the Scottish Enlightenment.

Event Registration is Closed
Wednesday, June 19, 2013 | 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Neighborhood watch: A time to lead in the Americas

This event has been canceled. We apologize for any inconvenience. 

Event has been Canceled
Wednesday, June 19, 2013 | 12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Is college worth it?

At this event, Bennett and Wilezol will present their book, higher education finance experts Richard George and Richard Vedder will provide discussion, and a coffee reception and book signing will follow.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013 | 3:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Is Big Brother watching you?

Join General Michael Hayden (ret.), AEI’s Marc Thiessen, and other leading experts in national security for a panel discussion on the significance of the NSA leaks.

Thursday, June 20, 2013 | 1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Balance: The economics of great powers from ancient Rome to modern America

Please join us for an event celebrating the release of Glenn Hubbard and Tim Kane’s “Balance: The Economics of Great Powers from Ancient Rome to Modern America” (Simon & Schuster, May 2013).

Friday, June 21, 2013 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Washington's ongoing assault on free speech: An address by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell

In light of the emerging Internal Revenue Service scandal, Senator McConnell will again join AEI to comment on the use of government power to stifle speech and will propose solutions that protect the individual rights that are guaranteed to all citizens of the United States.  

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No events scheduled this day.
No events scheduled this day.