Think the pharmaceutical industry is screwed up? Oh...you have no idea!

[Amy Shouse]

Hello all,

I often watch Bill Moyer's Journal online for reliable and smart news coverage. Last night I was watching his video interview with Melody Peterson. She wrote a very well researched (8 yrs) book on the pharmaceutical industry.

I knew it was bad. I cringe whenever I see the reps in my Dr.'s office. I myself do believe that many pharmaceuticals are a valuable resource for those who need them. But the operative statement is "those who need them."

As health care practitioners we need to know the ins and outs of how the marketing industry has created drugs and then popularized certain diseases, dysfunction or even normal events to create a demand for certain meds. Especially how they hire doctors to push the drugs. Yes, this is bad. But I really want us all to know how they do it. It is very very sneaky and if we are really aware of the marketing tactics we are that much more empowered. So, you may already agree that the pharmaceutical industry is screwed up. But IT IS ASTONISHING to realize how they do it. Makes me think how many of our patients in the clinic are talking drugs they might not need.

Watch this.





http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/05162008/watch2.html

[Chris Kresser]

I couldn't agree more, Amy. The total pharmaceutical industry is approaching half a trillion dollars. Drug companies spend $20 billion a year on advertising and promotion, an amount that is greater than the gross domestic product of all but 70 of the world’s richest nations. The pharmaceutical industry has 625 registered lobbyists, more than there are members of congress!

The industry also underwrites about 70% of clinical drug trials in the United States, which seriously compromises the integrity of medical research. This is alarming, of course. What's even scarier are the studies showing that most physicians don't even read studies; rather, they get almost all of their information about drugs from promotional literature and slide presentations at "special events" (i.e. $200/plate dinners, paid trips to the Bahamas and Whistler, etc.) offered by the pharmaceutical companies themselves.

I have an article about this on my blog which goes into considerable detail about the nefarious activities of Big Pharma. Check it out here.