A Prescription for the Next Health Care Crisis

This chapter begins by examining the steps that have been taken since the epidemic to safeguard the blood supply. Although these have diminished the risk of disease transmission, there are additional steps that could be taken to prevent another blood-borne viral epidemic. A new Office of Blood Product Safety (OBPS) might be established within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to communicate information on the safety and availability of blood and blood products to the public and health care professionals. Furthermore, the costs of collection, processing, and distribution of blood for transfusion should be borne by the public, not individual patients. Another recommendation is to establish an Office for the Control of Pharmaceutical Prices (COPP) within the Department of Health and Human Services to set caps on the prices of blood products, essential drugs, and medical devices. If a pharmaceutical required for human health becomes unavailable, then this Office could authorize subsidies for its production. The chapter concludes by urging greater investment in basic and applied research to identify the causes of disease, develop diagnostic tests and therapeutic materials, and produce vaccines that might prevent future outbreaks of blood-borne diseases.