The Fleecing of America by the Pharmaceuticals

November 2, 2002

by

Irene Alleger, Editor

The pharmaceutical companies have launched major advertising

campaigns recently, aimed at promoting their new over-the-counter

(OTC) drugs - first the antacids - and now Nicorettes, one of the few

aids to quit smoking on the market.

An acquaintance of mine who has been trying to stop smoking was

elated when the pharmacist told her the Nicorettes should be cheaper

when they went over-the-counter; she was paying $40 for a package of

96. Boy, was she wrong!

As soon as the news hit the media, my friend went to her local

pharmacy to renew her supply and found that OTC Nicorettes was now

packaged as a " Starter Kit, " including a video, for $53. Refills were

packaged in units of 48 for $29.95. In other words, what she used to

pay $40 for on prescription, now cost approximately $60 - an increase

of $20 per 96 pieces of gum!

What's going on here? Legalized robbery is what's going on. Basic

services like utilities have oversight committees to make sure that

costs of necessities remain affordable. Are pharmaceutical drugs

necessities? For most ofthe over 60 population who have become

dependent upon them - as dictated by their physicians - they are

necessities. People on Social Security and often low income are at

the mercy of these multinational giants.

It's not unusual for a senior citizen to be taking $400 worth of

prescription drugs each month, and for many it becomes a real

hardship. Every few months the drug companies come out with another

drug for heart conditions, cholesterol, blood pressure,

gastrointestinal drugs, etc. and physicians are encouraged to

prescribe these " newer " drugs; often at higher prices. They don't

really claim these drugs are better, just newer.

Now that the drug companies are facing competition from the

alternative medical community, seeing their profit margins shrink,

and their friend and ally, the FDA, under close scrutiny for reform,

they will find new ways to maximize profits. I don't recall much

being discussed during the great " heaath reform " debates, about the

cost of drugs being out-of-line, or in any way contributing to the

exorbitant cost of health care.

It is schizophrenic for our society to continue to spend billions

of dollars on " the war on drugs " while the multinational corporations

go unchallenged in their pursuit of profits and little

accountability. On the one hand we have the government considering

making tobacco a controlled substance, while on the other hand,

billions oftaxpayers' monies are used to subsidize drug research;

drugs with dangerous side effects and little proven benefit.

It seems that the more the government does to 'Lprotect " the

citizens, the more we wind up paying. The Kefauver-Harris amendment

in the early 60's, calling for " substantial evidence " to prove the

effectiveness of any new drug, was perhaps the most crucial. That

legislative step gave the FDA and the pharmaceuticals a much wider

turf to control, effectively making themselves the only authority on

what was " scientific. "

If the FDA could really be reformed - to protect the public

interest, rather than the profits of the pharmaceutical companies (as

they have openly stated as their primary charge), there would be less

room for fraud and abuse, which are rampant now. It is the government

bureaucracies which need reform, as the only protection consumers

have against being exploited in a controlled marketplace. But it's

becoming apparent that the politicians prefer to protect their

campaign contributions.

Within such a complex system of government/corporate

interactions, the consumer can do several things: 1. Avoid using

pharmaceutical drugs, except for serious illnesses and learn how to

stay healthy with the non-drug alternatives being proven as safe and

effective; 2. Continue to work hard for legislative freedom of choice

in health care.

Irene Alleger, Editor

November 2, 2002

A friend of mine always says that the " p " in pharmacy is silent.

Dottie

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Gettingwell

Saturday, November 02, 2002 07:51:46 AM