tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321229718141307911.post1618110291127183110..comments2023-10-24T01:44:59.579-07:00Comments on Newshoggers Archive: The routine suppressing of drug researchRon Beasleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04442030471061531104noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321229718141307911.post-24501319124578018072012-01-04T16:00:12.000-08:002012-01-04T16:00:12.000-08:00The reality is Drug companies can sell drugs they ...The reality is Drug companies can sell drugs they know will kill or injure people and still make money. At one point in my life as a manufacturing engineer I was involved in warranty research. Basically if you give a warranty of X years you are going to have Y failures during X which is going to cost you Z dollars. The longer the warranty the more sales you make. So what is the value of X that will make money. The pharmaceutical companies make the same calculations except people are injured or die. Y = lawsuits and X = profits. As long as X is greater than Y people will be injured or die.<br>Ron Beasleyhttp://profile.typepad.com/ronbeasnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7321229718141307911.post-74513840542660635182012-01-04T11:43:03.000-08:002012-01-04T11:43:03.000-08:00It makes me think some long-overdue muckraking inv...It makes me think some long-overdue muckraking investigative journalism is finally getting under way. Even a year or two before the health care reform catfight I came across occasional references to the incestuous relationship between drug companies and the forces that might either expedite or delay research. Years ago the National Institute of Health, a tax-supported institution, started "auctioning" discoveries to the private sector which then was able to make tons of money until the generic version finally came available. NIH has done most of the R&D heavy lifting with market research and production expenses left to companies that were to reap the profits.<br>The whole arrangement is a steaming pile of the usual political quid pro quo. Senator Sanders said recently that the same HIV anti-virals that are available in third world countries for a few hundred bucks cost about ten times as much in the US. Big Pharma, like Willie Sutton, goes where the money is.<br>The scrutiny of medical practices, drugs and the rest of health care is finally getting the examination it should have been subject to decades ago. But there are still forces with deep pockets and influential political connectins opposed to the trend. (So what else is new.)<br>John Ballardhttp://profile.typepad.com/john_ballardnoreply@blogger.com