918
Secrets of pharmaceutical companies
They do not want us to know
If you focus on movies and TV shows, you'd think that the huge pharmaceutical companies make all their money on that transform children into zombies and steal drugs for the heart of our grandmothers. But the truth is that "Big Pharma" (as they are called hippies and abnormal) - not modern Legion of Doom. These businesses, like any other company, focused on making money, but that does not mean that they are incapable of evil. They are still as capable. Just the fact that it is evil, usually involves less illegal genetic experiments.
1. Repackaging medicines to trick you
Name of the drug - an important part of its promotion. Antidepressant "Prozac" is designed for you to be considered scientific, while drug "Saraf," focuses on women, clearly presented as a female (even its packaging pink). However, the only difference between these drugs, but the name and colors that "Saraf" - this is the same "Prozac", a pharmaceutical company «Eli Lilly», which produces both drugs, wanted, that women should be "Saraf" not knowing what it is.
"Saraf" sold as a cure for an illness called premenstrual dysphoric disorder - in fact, from all the hassles that accompany menstruation, including the terrible panic attacks, anxiety and mood swings. And we do not say that "Prozac" does not treat these symptoms, it could (but we are not doctors). We just do not think to deceive people in the use of medicines properly, although it could have been forgiven if it was done for noble purposes. How, for example, if women suffering from DA really had to take "Prozac", but they would have avoided it because of its association with depression. However, this is not the case.
"Prozac" brought «Eli Lilly» huge amount of money, and "Saraf" was released only a few months before they expired patent for "Prozac". When the patent on the drug expires, its price falls sharply, and competitors are starting to produce their own generic drugs - analogues. But the release of a new drug that is identical to "Prozac», «Eli Lilly» managed to extend its patent for a few more years, allowing the price of "Prozac" remain good and high.
In 1997, «GlaxoSmithKline» did something similar when released known antidepressant "Wellbutrin" in the form of tablets that help to quit smoking, but only after its rebranding as "Zyban". Again, the science behind the drug may have actually been seen, but it does not change the fact that they are cheating people in making supposedly new drugs.
2. Flood world unreliable research
Okay, how do doctors know what kind of medicine you assign when all the time there are new drugs?
Well, they read medical journals to tell them about new research and preparations are now working. Unfortunately, drug companies know this, so when they release a new product that they know, sometimes causes uncontrollable diarrhea patients, they first produce a huge number of falsified research by replacing the word "diarrhea" to "kittens».
Of course, the actual practice is much more subtle than the substitution of one word for another. In a real case of a pharmaceutical company «Medtronic» paid $ 210 million to dozens of surgeons, so they put their signatures under the articles prepared and edited by marketers «Medtronic» to promote the drug for bone growth «Infuse» ... The same «Infuse», which is subsequently associated with the development of cancer and infertility in men, which could affect any of the millions of people he had been prescribed. Warnings were always on the packaging in small print, but marketers have managed to formulate them so that you can easily brush aside the terrible risks and side effects and pay attention only to the benefits of the drug. The authors of these studies can now be seen in the laboratory coats made of pure gold.
But even when drug companies are making efforts to carry out this study, they just do not publish unfavorable results. In one experiment, several studies were presented to the regulatory authorities, and at the end, were published only positive results. We did not forget to mention that the research has been funded by pharmaceutical huge conglomerates? That's why some researchers believe that the vast majority of studies of antidepressants in the best case simply unreliable.
But what about independent studies that are not paid by big business? Of course, they do exist, but many researchers eventually receiving claims, and research publications are protected by lawyers pharmaceutical company. Remember that companies do not even need to win a hearing - all you need to do is to drag the scientists back to the court, until they run out of money, and they do not have to burn their research notes for heating.
3. Create a false army of sales representatives
Another way for doctors to learn about new drugs, except medical journals - from sales representatives who visit health professionals and tell them about the latest magic pill, which released their company. Sales representatives visits to medical facilities like pizza delivery in porn - they can be said to end with the same.
In most countries, sales representatives are required by law to disclose all information about medicines that they advertise the doctor, and not only the most interesting. However, it was found that actually mention the serious risks of taking the drug sales representatives spend only 6% of their time. Because they have to sell the product. Their goal is not to inform and obtain the signature of the doctor, and your doctor as well susceptible to slick sales techniques, like everyone else.
So what's the danger here? Well, more than half of the drugs whose shortcomings are not mentioned, are the most severe warning, which may be issued, - a category of "can cause death." It's just a safety net - things can go horribly wrong when someone will take the medicine. But it should not be confused with side effects, in which case will definitely be bad if you are taking medication. But, again, sales representatives do not speak about side effects in 59% of cases.
Part of the problem also in the fact that the day in some hospitals can come dozens of sales representatives. Doctors want to listen to them just long enough to get a description and free samples, but not a minute longer. This leads to supersokraschёnnym presentations, and if something has to cut, it will cons.
A much bigger problem, however, is that, despite the extreme clarity of the law, practically there is no supervision or even bring it out. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies spend billions on advertising on television, speaking patients require these drugs from their physicians. So doctors under pressure from all sides. But, the truth, why do they have to worry about it if they just read an article in a medical journal that the drug is safe?
4. Everywhere it put
Today, reading every label, you will find that the product has been approved, for example, the Federal Society of anything recommended by the National Centre for anything and is used by the International Institute of any things.
As it turns out, most of these organizations are dummies pharmaceutical companies, recommending medication developed not on the basis of thorough research, but rather on the name that appears on the registration. Take, for example, the American Society of acne and rosacea. It is theoretically impartial organization that is almost entirely funded by manufacturers of drugs for acne as «Galderma», which pays for the work of 13 of the 15 experts AOAR. So when AOAR recommends a cure for acne, it is not surprising that it will cure «Galderma» for $ 2,500 per year, but not as effective generic for $ 120 per year.
According to the study «Journal Sentinel», from 20 clinical guidelines for the best-selling drugs in the United States (including "Nexium", "Lipitor" and "Oksitsotsin") 16 have been developed by physicians with clear ties to pharmaceutical companies. Case in point: asthma medicine company «GlaxoSmithKline» were fifth among the top-selling medicines America in 2011, thanks to the recommendation of the National Institute of the heart, lungs and blood, which may have occurred because 12 of the 18 members of the committee of the Institute paid «GlaxoSmithKline».
It is one thing when a bunch of professionals recommend that you brush your teeth dog's mouth, because their sponsored «Purina». Another thing, when it put them can kill you.
For example, in 2002, the year did pharmaceutical giant «Wyeth», when he discovered that his hormonal drug for menopause increases the risk of breast cancer, heart disease, stroke, and blood clots? The problem was that the drugs "Prempro" and "Premarin" were already on the market, and instead to withdraw them, the company spent $ 12 million on the establishment of the Council hormonal education, 85% of whose members worked on «Wyeth». They then spent the next six years, providing online course "training" thousands of doctors by how absolutely amazing hormone therapy and that all these problems with cancer patients, probably due to the fact that patients do in their spare time.
5. Violent bribery
It turns out that pharmaceutical companies are handing out bribes like Rambo (Rambo) distributes kicks in the ass - well, often, as a rule, in other countries. For example, «GlaxoSmithKline» is now under investigation for alleged bribery in the amount of $ 500 million of Chinese doctors, civil servants, hospital administration and all those who seemed to can participate in this. Payments were to ensure the company's large market share by country, presumably, instructions to the government to deal with all the counterfeit products «GlaxoSmithKline», flooded China.
Since then, the company has made a heroic decision to undertake an internal investigation and found that the whole thing with bribes organized four executives who acted alone against the principles of the company and, perhaps under marijuana.
Also «Pfizer» caught bribing medical workers in Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Kazakhstan, Russia, China and Serbia to force them to assign more drugs company, but they quickly pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $ 60 million fine.
But in fact the position of protection "literally everyone is doing it" surprising. When the giant «Eli Lilly» bribed Chinese officials, they had to throw jewelry and drown in spa treatments, to ensure that their interests abroad.
So, what do they get for their bribes? Well, they had to pay to doctors and hospitals prescribed medication instead of their products from their competitors. It turns out that your doctor prescribes you a tablet, not because it is - the best option for the treatment of your illness, but because the pharmaceutical company bought him a cool bike. Wait, it's actually more sad. «Pfizer China» supposedly "created" personal program "that provide physicians gifts such as mobile phones and tea sets, in exchange for how many prescriptions doctors have written."
If you focus on movies and TV shows, you'd think that the huge pharmaceutical companies make all their money on that transform children into zombies and steal drugs for the heart of our grandmothers. But the truth is that "Big Pharma" (as they are called hippies and abnormal) - not modern Legion of Doom. These businesses, like any other company, focused on making money, but that does not mean that they are incapable of evil. They are still as capable. Just the fact that it is evil, usually involves less illegal genetic experiments.
1. Repackaging medicines to trick you
Name of the drug - an important part of its promotion. Antidepressant "Prozac" is designed for you to be considered scientific, while drug "Saraf," focuses on women, clearly presented as a female (even its packaging pink). However, the only difference between these drugs, but the name and colors that "Saraf" - this is the same "Prozac", a pharmaceutical company «Eli Lilly», which produces both drugs, wanted, that women should be "Saraf" not knowing what it is.
"Saraf" sold as a cure for an illness called premenstrual dysphoric disorder - in fact, from all the hassles that accompany menstruation, including the terrible panic attacks, anxiety and mood swings. And we do not say that "Prozac" does not treat these symptoms, it could (but we are not doctors). We just do not think to deceive people in the use of medicines properly, although it could have been forgiven if it was done for noble purposes. How, for example, if women suffering from DA really had to take "Prozac", but they would have avoided it because of its association with depression. However, this is not the case.
"Prozac" brought «Eli Lilly» huge amount of money, and "Saraf" was released only a few months before they expired patent for "Prozac". When the patent on the drug expires, its price falls sharply, and competitors are starting to produce their own generic drugs - analogues. But the release of a new drug that is identical to "Prozac», «Eli Lilly» managed to extend its patent for a few more years, allowing the price of "Prozac" remain good and high.
In 1997, «GlaxoSmithKline» did something similar when released known antidepressant "Wellbutrin" in the form of tablets that help to quit smoking, but only after its rebranding as "Zyban". Again, the science behind the drug may have actually been seen, but it does not change the fact that they are cheating people in making supposedly new drugs.
2. Flood world unreliable research
Okay, how do doctors know what kind of medicine you assign when all the time there are new drugs?
Well, they read medical journals to tell them about new research and preparations are now working. Unfortunately, drug companies know this, so when they release a new product that they know, sometimes causes uncontrollable diarrhea patients, they first produce a huge number of falsified research by replacing the word "diarrhea" to "kittens».
Of course, the actual practice is much more subtle than the substitution of one word for another. In a real case of a pharmaceutical company «Medtronic» paid $ 210 million to dozens of surgeons, so they put their signatures under the articles prepared and edited by marketers «Medtronic» to promote the drug for bone growth «Infuse» ... The same «Infuse», which is subsequently associated with the development of cancer and infertility in men, which could affect any of the millions of people he had been prescribed. Warnings were always on the packaging in small print, but marketers have managed to formulate them so that you can easily brush aside the terrible risks and side effects and pay attention only to the benefits of the drug. The authors of these studies can now be seen in the laboratory coats made of pure gold.
But even when drug companies are making efforts to carry out this study, they just do not publish unfavorable results. In one experiment, several studies were presented to the regulatory authorities, and at the end, were published only positive results. We did not forget to mention that the research has been funded by pharmaceutical huge conglomerates? That's why some researchers believe that the vast majority of studies of antidepressants in the best case simply unreliable.
But what about independent studies that are not paid by big business? Of course, they do exist, but many researchers eventually receiving claims, and research publications are protected by lawyers pharmaceutical company. Remember that companies do not even need to win a hearing - all you need to do is to drag the scientists back to the court, until they run out of money, and they do not have to burn their research notes for heating.
3. Create a false army of sales representatives
Another way for doctors to learn about new drugs, except medical journals - from sales representatives who visit health professionals and tell them about the latest magic pill, which released their company. Sales representatives visits to medical facilities like pizza delivery in porn - they can be said to end with the same.
In most countries, sales representatives are required by law to disclose all information about medicines that they advertise the doctor, and not only the most interesting. However, it was found that actually mention the serious risks of taking the drug sales representatives spend only 6% of their time. Because they have to sell the product. Their goal is not to inform and obtain the signature of the doctor, and your doctor as well susceptible to slick sales techniques, like everyone else.
So what's the danger here? Well, more than half of the drugs whose shortcomings are not mentioned, are the most severe warning, which may be issued, - a category of "can cause death." It's just a safety net - things can go horribly wrong when someone will take the medicine. But it should not be confused with side effects, in which case will definitely be bad if you are taking medication. But, again, sales representatives do not speak about side effects in 59% of cases.
Part of the problem also in the fact that the day in some hospitals can come dozens of sales representatives. Doctors want to listen to them just long enough to get a description and free samples, but not a minute longer. This leads to supersokraschёnnym presentations, and if something has to cut, it will cons.
A much bigger problem, however, is that, despite the extreme clarity of the law, practically there is no supervision or even bring it out. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies spend billions on advertising on television, speaking patients require these drugs from their physicians. So doctors under pressure from all sides. But, the truth, why do they have to worry about it if they just read an article in a medical journal that the drug is safe?
4. Everywhere it put
Today, reading every label, you will find that the product has been approved, for example, the Federal Society of anything recommended by the National Centre for anything and is used by the International Institute of any things.
As it turns out, most of these organizations are dummies pharmaceutical companies, recommending medication developed not on the basis of thorough research, but rather on the name that appears on the registration. Take, for example, the American Society of acne and rosacea. It is theoretically impartial organization that is almost entirely funded by manufacturers of drugs for acne as «Galderma», which pays for the work of 13 of the 15 experts AOAR. So when AOAR recommends a cure for acne, it is not surprising that it will cure «Galderma» for $ 2,500 per year, but not as effective generic for $ 120 per year.
According to the study «Journal Sentinel», from 20 clinical guidelines for the best-selling drugs in the United States (including "Nexium", "Lipitor" and "Oksitsotsin") 16 have been developed by physicians with clear ties to pharmaceutical companies. Case in point: asthma medicine company «GlaxoSmithKline» were fifth among the top-selling medicines America in 2011, thanks to the recommendation of the National Institute of the heart, lungs and blood, which may have occurred because 12 of the 18 members of the committee of the Institute paid «GlaxoSmithKline».
It is one thing when a bunch of professionals recommend that you brush your teeth dog's mouth, because their sponsored «Purina». Another thing, when it put them can kill you.
For example, in 2002, the year did pharmaceutical giant «Wyeth», when he discovered that his hormonal drug for menopause increases the risk of breast cancer, heart disease, stroke, and blood clots? The problem was that the drugs "Prempro" and "Premarin" were already on the market, and instead to withdraw them, the company spent $ 12 million on the establishment of the Council hormonal education, 85% of whose members worked on «Wyeth». They then spent the next six years, providing online course "training" thousands of doctors by how absolutely amazing hormone therapy and that all these problems with cancer patients, probably due to the fact that patients do in their spare time.
5. Violent bribery
It turns out that pharmaceutical companies are handing out bribes like Rambo (Rambo) distributes kicks in the ass - well, often, as a rule, in other countries. For example, «GlaxoSmithKline» is now under investigation for alleged bribery in the amount of $ 500 million of Chinese doctors, civil servants, hospital administration and all those who seemed to can participate in this. Payments were to ensure the company's large market share by country, presumably, instructions to the government to deal with all the counterfeit products «GlaxoSmithKline», flooded China.
Since then, the company has made a heroic decision to undertake an internal investigation and found that the whole thing with bribes organized four executives who acted alone against the principles of the company and, perhaps under marijuana.
Also «Pfizer» caught bribing medical workers in Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Kazakhstan, Russia, China and Serbia to force them to assign more drugs company, but they quickly pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $ 60 million fine.
But in fact the position of protection "literally everyone is doing it" surprising. When the giant «Eli Lilly» bribed Chinese officials, they had to throw jewelry and drown in spa treatments, to ensure that their interests abroad.
So, what do they get for their bribes? Well, they had to pay to doctors and hospitals prescribed medication instead of their products from their competitors. It turns out that your doctor prescribes you a tablet, not because it is - the best option for the treatment of your illness, but because the pharmaceutical company bought him a cool bike. Wait, it's actually more sad. «Pfizer China» supposedly "created" personal program "that provide physicians gifts such as mobile phones and tea sets, in exchange for how many prescriptions doctors have written."
