5 terrible secrets of pharmaceutical companies

They do not want us to do znali

If you focus on movies and TV shows, you might think that the huge pharmaceutical corporations make all their money on that turn 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 a modern Legion of Doom. These companies, like any other company, focused on making money, but it 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 deceive vas

The name of the product - an important part of its promotion. Antidepressant "Prozac" is designed for you to be considered scientific, while the drug "Saraf" focused on women, clearly presented as a female (even its packaging is pink). However, the only difference between these products, except the name and the colors that "Saraf" - this is the same "Prozac", a pharmaceutical company «Eli Lilly», which manufactures both drugs, wanted the women were "Saraf" not knowing what it is.

"Saraf" was marketed 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, he could (but we are not doctors). We just did not think to deceive people in the use of medicines properly, although it could have been forgiven if it was done for noble purposes. Like, say, if women suffering from the PRD really needed to take "Prozac", but they would have avoided it because of its association with depression. However, this is not the case.

"Prozac" has brought «Eli Lilly» huge amount of money, but "Saraf" was released only a few months before their expired patent for "Prozac." When the patent on a drug expires, its price falls sharply, as competitors begin to produce their own generic drugs - analogues. But releasing a new drug that is identical to "Prozac», «Eli Lilly» managed to extend his patent for a few more years, allowing the price to "Prozac" to be a good and high.

In 1997, «GlaxoSmithKline» did something similar when released known antidepressant "Wellbutrin" in the form of tablets to help quit smoking, but only after its re-branding 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 issledovaniyami

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 patients uncontrolled diarrhea, they first produced a huge number of falsified research, replacing them 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 development of cancer and infertility in men, which could impact on any of the millions of people whom 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 terrifying 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 laboratories in robes made of pure gold.

But even then, when the pharmaceutical companies are making efforts to carry out this study, they just do not publish unfavorable results. In one experiment, several studies were presented to regulators and, eventually, have been published only positive results. We did not forget to mention that the research funded by huge pharmaceutical conglomerates? That's why some researchers believe that the vast majority of studies of antidepressants, at best, 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 legal pharmaceutical company. Remember that companies do not need to win a hearing - all you need to do is to drag the scientists back to court, until they run out of money, and they do not have to burn their research notes for heating.

3. Create the army of false trade predstaviteley

Another way for doctors to learn about new drugs, except medical journals - from sales representatives who visit health workers and tell them about the latest magic pill that has released their company. Visits of sales representatives in the medical institutions like the 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 the medicines they advertise a doctor, not just the most interesting. However, it was discovered that in fact references to serious risks of taking the drug sales reps spend a total of 6% of their time. Because they have to sell the product. Their goal is not to inform and obtain the signature of a doctor, and your doctor also susceptible to slick sales techniques, as well as all other people.

So what's the danger here? Well, more than half the drugs whose deficiencies are not mentioned, are the most severe warning, which may be issued, - a category of "could cause death." It's just a safety net - things can go horribly wrong, when someone takes the drug. 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 may reach 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 clarity of the law, there is virtually no supervision or any at all its enforcement. 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 podstava

Today, reading every label, you will find that a 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 all 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 the name that appears on the registration. Take, for example, the American Society of acne and rosacea. This theoretically impartial organization, which is almost entirely funded by manufacturers of drugs for acne as «Galderma», which pays for 13 of the 15 experts AOAR. So when AOAR recommends cure acne, it is not surprising that it will cure «Galderma» for $ 2,500 per year, 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 recommendations of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood, which may have occurred because 12 of the 18 members of the commission of the Institute paid «GlaxoSmithKline».

It is one thing when a bunch of professionals recommend that you brush your teeth dog toothpaste, because they sponsored the «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 withdraw them, the company spent $ 12 million for the establishment of the Council of hormonal education, 85% of whose members worked on «Wyeth». Then they spent the next six years, providing the online course "training" thousands of doctors by how absolutely amazing hormone therapy and that all of these problems in patients with cancer, probably due to the fact that patients do in their spare time.

5. Violent vzyatochnichestvo

It turns out that pharmaceutical companies give out bribes, like Rambo (Rambo) distributes kicks in the ass - well, often, as a rule, in other countries. For example, «GlaxoSmithKline» is now on trial on charges of paying bribes in the amount of $ 500 million to Chinese doctors, government officials, hospital administrators, and anyone 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 possibly for marijuana.

Also «Pfizer» caught bribing medical workers in Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Kazakhstan, Russia, China and Serbia to force them to assign more agents of the company, but they quickly admitted his guilt and agreed to pay $ 60 million fine.

But in fact, the position of the protection "literally everyone does it" surprise. 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 the doctor and the hospital prescribed their medication instead of drugs from their competitors. It turns out that your doctor prescribes you a pill, not because it is - the best option for the treatment of your illness, but because the pharmaceutical company he bought a cool bike. Wait, it's actually more sad. «Pfizer China» supposedly "created" personalized programs "that provide physicians gifts such as mobile phones and tea sets, in exchange for how many doctors have written prescriptions».

via factroom.ru