Dr.Spin and the Pharmaceutical Industry: Protecting the Profits by Scaring you!

In view of the recent VIOXX recall, and the clouds cast upon other COX-2 inhibitors, I offer this opinion. Are you aware of the facts behind the pharmaceutical industry? Are you an addict of the pharmaceutical healthcare model? Have you really asked pertinent, sharp questions of your Physician? Are you an informed consumer? This is my own opinion of why medications are so expensive.

The Pharmaceutical Industry, of which I am a part, has what we call "Spin Doctors." This Spin Doctor is the Spokesman for the Pharmaceutically Intoxicated Nation, or "Spin" for short. Why do I use this term? Because it seems that almost everyone simply must take a huge amount of drugs. The main phrase is: "Well, if we did things any different than the way we’re doing them, we’d have no money to research and develop new drugs. And without new drugs, people would have no way of treating all the disorders and diseases plaguing our world and they’d all die. So let us keep doing things our way, and have a nice day."

The Drug salesmen, and the spokes people for drug manufacturers say this over and over to shield the companies from any criticism and demands ford reform.

Let’s ask a couple of questions then.

"Why is it that the amount we spend on drugs has increased by 15% a year for the past several years, 5 times the rate of inflation, but we are NOT seeing any correlation in improved health? I mean, a brand-name prescription cost an average of $27 in 1990, but by 2000, it jumped all the way to $65.00, outpacing inflation. What’s going on here?"

Go back to Spin Doctors response in paragraph 1.

So, go forward to those who try to contain costs for employees health care. "We spend more than $5000 on each person on health, but we are NOT the healthiest country. Our lifesp;an is down at number 25 on the list of all countries. Prescription drugs are the fastest rising part of this national healthcare expense.

Go back to Spin Doctors response in paragraph 1.

So, consider the Senior Citizen. Those people who might be forced to consider their drugs versus Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner. How come in Canada they pay only 62% of what I must pay, and the French pay only 55% and the Italians only 53%. These are the same drugs.

Go back to Spin Doctors response in paragraph 1.

So: this is a very effective Spin Doctor. The fear that is created by the Spin Doctor is that we would all be sick as heck without the drug companies. Consider this new Medicare Drug legislation that recently passed, this is where the powerful drug lobby spent over $135 million to lobby with Spin Doctors.

The correct answers:

According to recent studies, by the Boston University School of Public Health only 11% of drug company revenue goes to research and development. 16% is taken as profit, and 30% is devoted to drug marketing and administration. The marketing budget, as evidenced by all the TV commercials, is the one that has expanded most rapidly. The bottom line is that’s its all about the money generated by drug sales.

N ext, just what is meant by "new" drugs’? Between 1989 and 2000 only 15% of the drugs approved were actually NEW drugs. Most of the research and development dollars were spent on competition with existing drugs already on the market, perhaps adding a side-chain on one, and trying to take sales away from another drug already on the market. Advertising to Doctors and the unsuspecting Public has nothing to do with our health. The so-called research and development is really primarily marketing in disguise.

Thus, by those 2 facts, the Spin Doctor is effectively out of business.

Bearing this in mind, and in light of the VIOXX scandal and scam, and in light of the incredible amount of litigation concerning adverse drug reactions, it would behoove you to ask your Physician if there are any other drugs or methods to reduce your symptoms. The FDA now has the "black box" warnings on many drugs, but if your Doctor has only been "educated" by drug salesmen, and has not read his or her very own medical journal which reveals much, then he is not as informed as he should be. As always, ask questions. I know the visits are short, limited by the Insurance companies, but that is still no reason not to speak up.

By the way, did you realize that many of your pharmaceuticals are manufactured "overseas" and that many of the large pharmaceutical companies are actually "foreign-owned?" One of the largest generic manufacturing companies in the world is located in Croatia? They also do an incredible amount of research there on pharmaceuticals.

References: Credit to be given to Dr. Mercola’s newsletter at Mercola.com, and resources from Brian Vaszily.

Kern Stafford, DPh