the one thing i will back pelosi all the way on.....

[asdf_admin]

Re: the one thing i will back pelosi all the way on.....

haha. i can not wait for a response.

... Mr. Fuse?

[Lorn]

Re: the one thing i will back pelosi all the way on.....

[rubyraks]

Re: the one thing i will back pelosi all the way on.....

I was waiting for toasty to jump in on this one...he's got tons more to say on the subject that I could...


and with that, well said toasty

and I'd just like to add one more thing, I can't understand how anyone could argue in the pharmie's favor while ignoring the most basic fact that pharmies will never make the cure or teach prevention. This is what our government funding should be focused on...for gods sake the last real cure that was created was for polio over 50 years ago! Cancer, AIDS, etc....are you fu*king kidding me?! They could come up with billions of ways and drug cocktails to stall the disease, but little or no progress on curing it...that just doesn't make any rational sense.

[Localizer]

Re: the one thing i will back pelosi all the way on.....

I was waiting for toasty to jump in on this one...he's got tons more to say on the subject that I could...


and with that, well said toasty

and I'd just like to add one more thing, I can't understand how anyone could argue in the pharmie's favor while ignoring the most basic fact that pharmies will never make the cure or teach prevention. This is what our government funding should be focused on...for gods sake the last real cure that was created was for polio over 50 years ago! Cancer, AIDS, etc....are you fu*king kidding me?! They could come up with billions of ways and drug cocktails to stall the disease, but little or no progress on curing it...that just doesn't make any rational sense.

Because they'd go out of business with cures. Chemotherapy for cancer is expensive and keeps everyone, including docs, in business. It's demented, especially when the axiom for physicians is 'do no harm.'

[rubyraks]

Re: the one thing i will back pelosi all the way on.....

^I understand the whys...This is just one of the examples of a flaw (or deficiency) in the capitalist system that so many hold sacred and dear.

[Lorn]

Re: the one thing i will back pelosi all the way on.....

Sure capitalism is flawed. So is every other ism. The real question is which one works the best for this screwed up world we live in.

[rubyraks]

Re: the one thing i will back pelosi all the way on.....

My point wasn't to dismiss a capitalist economy, but to point out that for all the good it does sometimes non-capitalist measures need to be taken to make up for it's shortcomings and this certainly is a prime example.

[Miroslav]

Re: the one thing i will back pelosi all the way on.....

Anyway, the point is this: pharma companies do good for society, and they should be rewarded for that and allowed to make money, even a lot of money. The question is when enough is enough. R&D is a huge expense, but it is an expense that drug companies have, for years, willingly taken on in exchange for the promise of ridiculous profits. Nowadays, however, that expense is being eclipsed by marketing-related expenses.

I did corporate finance at a major pharma company for 5 years. Good post, and I agree with pretty much all of it. A few thoughts I'd add:

1. DTC advertising, selling, and marketing: I would love to see an industry-wide crack down on this. If we're talking about adjusting the financial playing field for a highly regulated monopolistic industry that makes many products that for many people are non-negotiable in short run demand (ok, granted that there are also a lot of drugs that people don't really need either...), then this is a good place for the FDA to start.

2. Regarding prevention & education: I agree that this would be great - but this issue goes much deeper than just the pharma companies. The current healthcare paradigm is a product of the actions of big pharma, the medical community, the government (i.e., FDA), and the modern food industry. A tangible change in the way society views healthcare has to change all three of these. And it's almost sacreligious as a layperson to challenge a physician...and the only people who really have the funding to run the major double-blind placebo studies are, of course, pharma companies.

Looking beyond symptom treatment...supplements & minerals...fresh, organic foods...avoidance of artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, preservatives... These are all things that carry no value to pharma, doctors, FDA officials, or food providers. For example, our modern health care paradigm thinks:
- that partially hydrogenated oils are ok for you to eat
- that milk produced from a non-grazing cow raised on antibiotics and growth hormones is just as good as natural milk
- that there is no consequence to you from regularly eating heavily processed frozen foods bout at your local supermarket.

This list goes on and on and on.

If you want to look beyond the prescription pill to see what you might be able to do for your long term health, you've got to do all of the work on your own. Because the pharma folks, the doctors, the FDA, and the food retailers are not on your side and they're not going to help you.

[Lorn]

Re: the one thing i will back pelosi all the way on.....

My point wasn't to dismiss a capitalist economy, but to point out that for all the good it does sometimes non-capitalist measures need to be taken to make up for it's shortcomings and this certainly is a prime example.

Gotcha. Perhaps that is what we will see in another thousand years.

[Localizer]

Re: the one thing i will back pelosi all the way on.....

credit killed the conscious star.

[88Mariner]

Re: the one thing i will back pelosi all the way on.....

who's talking about a capitalist economy? where? when?


what you have before you is a mixed economy. it's mixed because of heavy government intervention....and slowly moving away from capitalism.

[Lorn]

Re: the one thing i will back pelosi all the way on.....

Very true. Everytime a government sticks there nose in economics it f*cks it up royally. Amazing things get done. Thats the power of people wanting to make something of their lives.