The Pharmaceutical Industry
* All art was provided by "Google Images" with our thanks.
The chemical "sea of pills".
By Felicity Blaze Noodleman
 |
| Jack Andraka, Age 15 |
Two articles in the news lately have caught my
attention. The first was about a high
school student, Jack Andraka, 15, who won the Gordon E Moore award in the Intel
International Science and Engineering Fair for developing a test which detects
pancreatic cancer with a 90% accuracy rate and is 100 times more sensitive than
current tests. It is faster and cheaper
than current tests.
May the large pharmaceutical and medical supply companies
eat their hearts out! They have all been
shown up by a youngster with no funding or elaborate facilities that have
produced something which is really useful and saves people money and time. These are the kind of researchers we need
today. This brings me to the real point
of this article.
The second news article which I found to be of interest in
the same field of pharmacology was July 2, 2012. It was reported that British Pharmaceutical Company
GlaxoSmith Kline was fined $3 Billion for promoting antidepressants for unapproved
uses and for failing to report safety data about a top selling diabetes
drug. There were also civil penalties
for the improper marketing of half a dozen other drugs according to Federal prosecutors.
There were so many dynamics to this case that I can’t
believe it. Here are some excerpts:
·
Prosecutors said Glaxo illegally promoted Paxil for treating
depression in children from 1998 to 2003, even though it wasn't approved for
anyone under age 18. The company also promoted Wellbutrin from 1999 through
2003 for weight loss, sexual dysfunction, substance addictions and attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder, although it was only approved for treatment of
major depression. The New York Daily News
·
The pharmaceutical group GlaxoSmithKline
has been fined $3bn (£1.9bn) after admitting bribing doctors and encouraging
the prescription of unsuitable antidepressants to children. Glaxo is also
expected to admit failing to report safety problems with the diabetes drug
Avandia in a district court in Boston on Thursday. The company encouraged sales reps in the US to mis-sell three drugs to doctors and lavished
hospitality and kickbacks on those who agreed to write extra prescriptions,
including trips to resorts in Bermuda, Jamaica and California. The Guardian - UK
· Part of the civil settlement also includes
claims that the company overcharged the government for drugs. Glaxo did not
admit any wrongdoing in the civil settlement. Despite the large amount, $3
billion represents only a portion of what Glaxo made on the drugs. Avandia, for
example, racked up $10.4 billion in sales, Paxil brought in $11.6 billion, and
Wellbutrin sales were $5.9 billion during the years covered by the settlement,
according to IMS Health, a data group that consults for drugmakers. “So a $3
billion settlement for half a dozen drugs over 10 years can be rationalized as
the cost of doing business,” Mr. Burns said. Mr. Burns and others have said
that to institute real change, executives must be prosecuted criminally or
barred from participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, an action known as “exclusion.”
The New York Times
It should be noted that 2012 is becoming a record year for
fines set by the Fed. In these kinds of judgments! What is also really distasteful is a video
made at a GlaxoSmith Kline sales convention which shows company representatives
offering huge cash incentives and other perks for the promotions of their drugs
and other supplies. Other big
pharmaceutical companies which have been prosecuted and fines in the recent
past include Pfizer Inc. settling for 2.3 Billion; Eli Lilly & Co fined
nearly 1.5 Billion. and Abbot Laboratories settled for 1.6 Billion. Johnson & Johnson has had two serious
recalls of their “Tylenol” products and their problems just don’t seem to end
with a fine which could result in 2 Billion settling for its “Risperdal” drug.
The fact which really blisters me about this case is the
exploitation of children with powerful psyche. Meds. in this case. Drugs for adults and not approved by the FDA
for children were being promoted to Doctors by GSK. Drugs which are known to cause suicidal
behavior in teens. When I first heard of
this case it raised my interest in writing this article, but as I study it more
closely I am beginning to see the really criminal direction this industry has
been moving in for some years now!
I
can also say that it seems to me that our youths have become more dependent
than ever on so many drugs. I have to
ask what is going on? This was not the
case when I was growing up. Is it a
result of what I call “The Frosted Flake Syndrome”? Too much sugar in children’s diet and adults
who can’t cope with it all? Children who
have become diabetic and are on a regiment of “Ritalin”. I wonder.
This is becoming a sad commentary on childhood these days.
I suppose we should be glad to see a system in place which
oversees and deals with problems of this nature but it’s alarming to see so
much happening all at once. It seems to
me that the drug companies have become extremely profit motivated and have
thrown caution to the wind as they market their products like never before. It all reminds me of the drug “Thalidomide”
which was marketed in the late 1950’s.
Thalidomide was found to cause birth defects when taken by pregnant woman and had
to be pulled. What a nightmare!
What governs today's health care system?
Pharmaceutical companies view fines in cases like this as
“the cost of doing business” and know that the judgments legally point out the
way in which they may proceed in the future.
Eliot Spitzer, New York Attorney General, has remarked regarding a 2004 judgement against GSK "this kind of corporate
arrogance will continue unless company officials are held accountable for the
criminal behavior of their companies".
What is really startling is when it comes to writing legislation in
congress for these companies the authors are industry insiders. After all, they are the experts and congress
has very little to do with the process and oversight only arises as a result of
a specific problem which has occurred in a mass incident. It should be noted that the FDA is also made
up of these insiders as well.
There have been other cases in the past related to a number
of problems in the pharmaceutical Industry.
At one time or another all the companies have been sued in court or have
had recalls over a number of various products.
Law firms quite often are looking individuals who have taken a drug as
they are preparing for a class action law suit or law firms which are
dispensing payouts for a legal settlement by drug companies.
All too many evenings I have watched a parade of TV ads. For
new drugs and have been horrified as the side effects have been listed. Advertising directly to the public is
something relatively new for the drug companies. In the past new pills and treatments have
come to us through our doctors. As I
watch these television commercials I have to ask myself am I a doctor? How do I know if I might need this new
miracle cure? They advise “ask your
doctor” or “You could benefit when added to something you are already
taking”. What is becoming all too clear
though is how far pharmacological companies will go for profits in marketing
their drugs.
The costs of doing business with these companies.
If we view things on a really personal level than it becomes
largely apparent that pharmaceutical companies are the real drug pushers in our
society and they are bullies who have an arsenal of inducements at their
command to convince the public to buy their “stuff”. From the Federal governments Medicare
programs down through the state level, such as here in California with Medical,
government is the biggest customer in dispensing the pharmaceuticals to the
public at large. Insurance companies
also have become a target for drug companies to “unload” their merchandise.
Too often in the news we hear of the tragic deaths which
have occurred from the extreme miss use of pharmaceuticals. Some under physician’s oversight and also by
over dosages and abuse by individuals.
An area of great concern is physical conditioning in the sports world
and individuals seeking to achieve a muscular physique through the use of a
multitude of different pills and injections.
Is this what they mean when they say “better living through chemistry”?
Now let me ask a question.
Would you take a drug or pill if you knew that in the future you would
develop severe complications? Many
people begin a regiment of pills at a young age during a time in their lives
when they are relatively healthy. Added
to this regiment are vitamins, health supplements and so forth. What is going to happen in the future when
new illnesses develop as a result of aging?
Isn’t it wise to be prudent? Let
me tell you a story. A friend of mine
has been on chemotherapy for a number of years.
He became ill with a cold and took an over the counter remedy. He became very ill with and interaction
which easily could have resulted in death.
The moral of this is obviously to check with your Doctor about
everything you take. Isn’t that a good
rule in general for all substances we’re taking?
Obviously pharmaceutical serve a valid purpose and fill a legitimate
need in society. I’ve seen firsthand for
myself radical transformations for the better with patients who suffer with a variety
of illnesses and have to be grateful for the availability of such “wonder
drugs”. Let’s all hope that prudent
progress will guide the way for us all.
In closing; I was reminded of a poem learned in childhood
which may illustrate the need for caution with drugs.
THE GREEN LITTLE CHEMIST
A green little chemist mixed
Some green little chemicals
On a green little day
In his own green little way
Now the green little chemist
Silently lays
Under the green little grasses
That tenderly sway
In their own green little way
Be careful about what you put in your body. It's not a test tube!
Speaking
of childhood this is the choice for next week’s article, “Childhood
Memories”. I’m Felicity and I’ll see you
then!
"GUNMAN SLAYS 12 AT
MIDNIGHT PREMIER !"
The two faces of suspected shooter James Holmes, (aka) the "Joker"
By now most have heard the appalling news of the young 24
year old Colorado gunman who killed 12 and injured 58 others at the midnight
opening of the film “The Dark Knight Rises” Thursday the 19 th.. In Aurora,
CO. The Noodleman Group would like
to extend our deepest sympathies to all those affected by this tragedy and
especially to the families of the injured by this horrifying incident.
As more information becomes available will we be seeing how
Pharmaceuticals may have affected the suspected shooter, James Holmes? Cases like this in the past rarely have not
gone into detail concerning this aspect.
Clearly this young man was seriously disturbed. He claimed that he was the “Joker”, a
character out of the “Batman” stories.
In April of 1999 a very similar incident occurred at
Columbine High School in Jefferson County, CO., in which 12 students and one
teacher were murdered by two gunmen. Eric
Harris and Dylan Kiebold. Both gunman committed
suicide ending the incident. Among all
of the areas explored by officials dealing with the incident, and there were
quite a few, one area surfaced with alarming precursors which may have pointed
to that tragedy. Pharmaceuticals! Here is an excerpt from a Wikipedia article recounting
the facts of that investigation:
Medication
Felicity B. Noodleman 7.23.2012
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