Drug Innovation 11: They Create Cures or Customers?

The pharmaceutical industry -- mainly grouped between the innovators and the generic producers, but often associated with the former -- always evokes lots of emotive comments, factual or not. Like this image below, posted by "Juicing Vegetables" page in facebook last Sunday.

As of this writing (9:20am, Manila time), it has attracted 6,667 likes, 7,117 shares, and 212 comments.

I am posting below some of those comments. They offer a wide variety of perspectives and opinions. Should be useful to both the pharma industry and its detractors/haters. You may see 212 comments in facebook here. It should become 300+, 500+ later. Enjoy
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Glen Kolenc It's naive to think a whole industry can exist without making a profit. I wouldn't work in any industry or job for nothing. Really this is business 101 - a business must profit to survive! Just because pharmaceutical companies profit, doesn't mean they aren't doing something for the good of people.

I also think its naive and irresponsible to think that pharma companies are responsible for our health. We need to take matters into our own hands.... If you are unwell, do as many healthy/natural remedies as possible but also go to the doctors. Take medicine if u need it but don't blindly think a tablet will cure everything. But don't be a fool & ignore the fact that medicines do save lives

(Replies)

Patricia Bruch We're all human guinea pigs. They get rich and some of us survive with no lasting effects. I understand they have to make a profit but at what cost? There are so many side effects from many of the pharmaceuticals out there that you have to wonder is it worth the risk? I for one did not take a prescribed medication because I really want to keep my Esophagus. It was stressed to me several times that erosion was a common side effect. Why would I take it??? 

 Julia Robinson Randolph My husband works for Abbott/Abbvie. He has never once decided to become a scientist for the profit!! He wanted to be a positive influence in this world. There are plenty of diseases out there that cannot be helped by nature alone and need help from medicine. Many meds. are not just chemicals either....Scientist work with nature as well. My husband has a PhD and went to school plus internship for over 10 years to make meds to help very serious diseases!! The amount of money it costs to make a single pill to help desperate people is amazing. There are other people such as celebrities, athletes, political folks, and bankers who make ten times more money than my husband, more actually. We are only middle class and struggle to make payments on bills like everyone else!! Stop poking at the pharma companies for without them, we would all be in serious trouble!! Nature needs alot of help!! I wish I could publicly tell you all that my husband has helped discover for many people's benefit, but I can't...Please stop making my husband look like some sort of profit monster bec. he works many, many hours to help others, and we do not drive new cars or have a million dollar home. 

Terri Basting He is probably a noble man, but somebodys getting rich at the cost of many. 

Aloysius Nelson those that involve in the profit gaining of prescription drugs,and those that support them,will never admits that over the counter drugs cause more problem to people more than it solve them,so who is the naive one? 

Yvone Fuqua It's not that they are making money, it's that they are HELPING the largest ELITE to BLOCK cures when all...... and I MEAN ALL of this was created IN the FOOD PROCESSING. MORE JUNK = MORE ILLNESSES.............. it's called POPULATION CONTROL in all reality. POOR can't afford the 150-200 a WEEK per PERSON to eat HEALTHY - I discovered this Cost and THANKGOD I have assistance to RECLAIM and REGAIN my health!

Angela Demars Roberts Unfortunately you are probably right about your husband, but that is because he is the one who does the work. It is the people employing him who are making the millions, while the middle class slave away trying to do something worthwhile. Also unfortunately the medications that actually help save lives are few and far between and are usually the ones that are used infrequently, not the ones sold as a daily use prescription. And indeed the diseases that might actually seem to warrant a daily prescription are definitely caused by what we are doing to ourselves!! Diet, toxins, etc.

Mary Velez sooo true
After the first pill,.. there's always 20 more bottles to"cure" the damage the first one made.

Christafer Duran "There's no money in the cure. The money is in the medicine. That's how a drug dealer makes his money. On the come back."

Robynne Lewis Ok sheeple. Let me know how it goes when you try to explain that to the parents whose child was murdered by someone suffering from a psychotic break whom could've been successfully treated with antipsychotic medication. It's a blanket statement to say that ALL medications are equally unneccessary. Open your minds - learn the facts for yourself rather than pressing "like" simply b/c you might not require life saving medication at this moment in time. Diet and exercise are critical to health but they're not a cure all, especially when it comes to brain abnormalities.

Mark Zona All of you anti-pharmaceutical people...show us you are not hypocrites...do not take any product produced by the Pharmaceutical Industry. Migraines...live with them! Blood pressure problems, heart attack, stroke...make some juice! Cancer...eat some couch grass!! God gave us natural resources but he also gave us a brain to make something of them! Such a lack of fundamental common sense in the world today!

Andrea Lauren Beaston Finally a voice of reason! This thread was starting to read like a cult... "Hey you have brain cancer? Just drink this green juice and condemn modern science and you'll live fooooorrrrrrevvvver!!

Kevin Brandenburg Tell me a natural cure for cancer, HIV, AIDS, etc. and then say that there is no use for pharmaceutical companies.

Pamela Remme Im soooo happy ppl are finally paying attention to the corruption of Big Pharma. Guess what? Govt healthcare feeds right into BIG PHARMA!

Angie Gilbert Winter Not everything can be treated with fruit and Herbs or natural/vegan/organic remedies. No diet/lifestyle can prevent everything. I am higher risk for cancer because of a birth defect. My diet choices can't 100% prevent it. Some people on here are so rude.

Jennifer Powell I have a thyroid condition that can only be treated effectively with pharmaceuticals. Also, pharmaceuticals are the only effective option for many psychiatric conditions. So, pharmaceuticals do serve useful purposes, but they should be part of "the commons" existing for the purpose of healing, and not for profit. Thanks!

Rita Davison We know this.....so who keeps going back for more??? I haven't seen a doctor for 35 years.

Amada Alvarado Eyer I sold pharmaceuticals for ten years. I totally understand the symbolism of this posting. As a matter of fact, I sadly agree with most of the message that is being conveyed. I witnessed a lot of darkness in the pharma industry where certain companies paid docs to write prescriptions for patients . They were not patient focused at all. But I do believe that there are ethical doctors out there who are strictly patient focused and demand studies to prove efficacy of meds. I believe a healthy mindset along w exercise, diet, is the answer for well being. For the patients who have more serious conditions, medication can very well be a benefit for them too, even life saving. Bottom line, it's all about to each his own.

Jessica Torres This is crap. I work in the industry and we scientists work very hard. Go cure cancer with your holistic diet cures. 

Jason Blackwood If everyone ascribed to a holistic diet, we wouldn't need your cure

Lily Landis WE will!!! so many people getting their cancers healed with natural cures!!! The numbers are growing every single day!!

Andrea Lauren Beaston What the hell makes you two experts on cancer and other serious illnesses?? You are completely delusional if you think that diet can cure ANY disease or that diet CAUSES ALL diseases. You should count your blessings you're so healthy.

Toni Schwartz Beverly, Aids patients can have a normal life expectancy in many cases with drug therapy. Allow those patients to focus strictly on homeopathic remedies and see what their fate holds. This is indicative of many chronic diseases. I have asthma. No juice in the world will help me breathe without medical intervention. Jesus

Christen Kegler Oliver Most Cancer is preventable and is the result of poor dietary needs and environmental factors. but Pharms would have you believe otherwise. They make tons of money and are not "saving" people from cancer as you would think. I suggest doing more research on survival rates, post 5 years. Yes, they are legal drug dealers.

Kim Thrift I agree ! Legal drug dealers.

Jeanie Lijoi Legal drug dealers

Raymond Trenton Bruce How does one expect to have a liver transplant without Prograf?

Toni Schwartz Not true at all! Granted there are many conditions that can be reduced or eradicated with better nutrition and exercise , but there are tons of diseases and conditions which can only be treated with pharmaceuticals.

Lisa Hawley Bright That's what the entire medical community is about. Treating you after you're sick. Chiropractic starts out on the same path as the medical (MD) schooling, but they part ways. Chiropractic is about prevention of illness by the body healing itself, and the medical community is about pathology, treating you after you already have an illness.

Jason Blackwood Major difference, both medically and ethically.

Toni Schwartz Everything has possible side affects. Take an HIV patient and allow them to Juice without taking Meds and see how long their life expectancy will be. Agreed that many Meds are given when we may not need them, but many of the medications on the market are critical to the survival of many. How can so many be so simple to believe what they hear and read without looking at the larger scope of things. Smh

Andrea Lauren Beaston Yeah, tell that to people suffering from mental illness (just one example)... What's your all natural cure for someone who's bi-polar? This issue is not black and white.

Maryann Fläsch This statement is so ignorant that I honestly can't even start to tell you how fucking retarded you are for saying it because it would contain so much evidence to the contrary that it would automatically be deleted as "Spam".

HIV is now a chronic and controllable condition.
Blood Cancer is now a chronic condition less damaging than Diabetes.
The average life span of Americans is 72.
89% of cancer is now curable.

The stupidity of people that believe what you said are insults to all the scientists and researchers and doctors that keep you alive and far healthier than at any other time in human history.

Jason Blackwood A life span of 72 is an absolute joke in this day and age.

Nat Hurley my 74 year old father is taking 18 pills a day and I have been trying to find natural ways to wean him off all these tablets and also suggested he asked his medication specialist about supplements of CoenzymeQ10, minerals and B vitamins as many of the drugs he takes block absorption and manufacture or causes expulsion of these vital nutrients. But I could not believe it when the medicine specialist said he wanted to get the medications right before allowing my father to take any supplements. Meanwhile my father's health is deteriorating fast. I am furious but what can you do? My father trusts the health system and sadly suffers for it. It is because of this I set up the website naturecures.co.uk and have been able to persuade him, through that, to try healthy natural foods but he still takes all the awful medications. Breaks your heart 

Paul Scully What a stupid bloody thing to post . Without the Pharma industry there would b a lot more pain and suffering in the world you fools .

Deanna Smith Watch Fat Sick and Nearly Dead ... You'll realize this is true

Unc House Yep 200 Billion dollar industry...

Manan Reese The comment that 'natural things are the best way to health' is simple minded. Tobacco is natural. Alcohol is natural. Red meat is natural. Aspirin is not natural. Vaccines are not natural. Beta Blockers are not natural. monoclonal antibodies are not natural. Protease inhibitors are not natural.

Raymond Trenton Bruce This completely pissed me off

Garry Stephens The money is not in the cure, the money is in the medicine, unfortunately!

Christie Rosario Truth...they run the medical industry. Ever notice those reps that come into doctors offices informing them of a new drug? Yes, that's big pharma letting docs know about the "latest" new drug out there that they should offer their patients. It's a sad thing and unfortunate that my family and I fell into the constant prescription. It came to the point where our primarily care doc would just write prescriptions based on the symptoms explained or give a shot for colds.

Mike Steeno this is true...a half trillion dollar industry because they want people to stay sick enough to keep coming back. they don't bother to tell people that the real cure is good nutrition and vitamin supplements.

Sarah Redington Durrett Well, maybe the exception is antibiotics...those cure diseases for sure....at least for now.

Brian Alexander Glen Kolenc summed it up in a nut shell.
I also understand people are passionate and rightfully so. People are also supposed to be intelligent. Do not take everything you hear and read as gospel. Do further research, obtain facts, form your own opinion based on your principals and mantra's? 

We all know what the goal of big pharma. That is not changing! We also know they serve a great purpose for those who have illness that cannot be aggressively treated with holistic and herbal medicine.

What you should be asking or saying is......These are the facts; what are your goals for yourself and your health so that you do not have to rely on big pharma. Formulate an evolving lifestyle, diet and health regimen around that concept. With the knowledge and information that we have in such vast quantity in our world today. You will never be in the dark.
God bless your mind, body and spirit!
Peace!

Traci Veschak I don't think so. People make themselves the customer through their bad choices. Pharma companies offer a help. Not everyone is willing to make the right choices to become healthier. In the meantime, pharmaceuticals give people a higher quality of life.

Jessica Barone I am a pharma rep and the truth of the matter is the industry does its part to try and help bring treatment options for many diseases, but people need to do their own part also to make the best lifestyle choices possible. If people were doing there personal best in certain cases, not every case, they would not need to turn to pharma. Also, everyone should review all options and if you think there is another alternative go that route. If you chose a pharmaceutical product and it helps at least be a little greatful scientists and for profit companies have chosen to study your disease state and have discoved something to improve your quality of life. It is tiring to always hear the negatives vs the life changing stories that many drugs have provided to millions. I don't think an entire industry sets out to not find a cure!

Dan Whitaker I used to have AIDS and breast cancer. I was as good as dead. Then I saw on facebook that honey and cinnamon cure everything. Boom! All clear now and I'm practically immortal. 

Suzee Neidhardt Loughmiller Pharmacy may not cure, but... It does help sustain life and allow for comfort. I juice for a healthy life and take meds to stay alive. When missing life sustaining organs, no amount of juice would keep me alive! This is pic is one sided propaganda.

Brandi HultgrenTwobulls SO SO TRUE! no monies to be made with well people.

Matt Williams Sr You want to live a long and healthful life? Avoid doctors and drugs--pharmaceuticals and illicit.

Leslie Horton This is not completely true. Western and Eastern medicine needs to marry not be mutually exclusive

Staci Kabalkin Snair I have removed medicine form my life and that of my family with meditation and Young Living Essential Oils....message me if you are interested in a healthier alternative for healing yourself.

Ellen Stech Sad but some medicines are necessary, but many chronic conditions could be avoided by going vegan organic, and anything you put on your skin should be all natural organic if possible...also exercise and spiritual care are needed of course...

Rick N Nat Aleman I too work in the industry and this is only 50 percent true...

Deanna Yoga Our Bodies should Never be at the expense so a "business must profit." smh...

Diane Martinasco Fitzgerald The pharmaceutical industry is not like you make it out to be. Many people are helped tremendously by this industry everyday! Are there other options? Of course! Ask a person with MS if the lesions on their brain and episodes are not reduced by their meds...of course eating clean and healthy is the way to go and exercise, but these patients need drugs (right now) to live their lives to the fullest and stay out of wheelchairs.

Norlie Llorca i think it's unfair medicine really save lives. along with good diet.

Rejuvelate Aesthetic & Therapeutic Aromatherapy Productsthe unfortunate truth

Katherine Moser Curcio Exactly the reason that they've not legalized MJ for pain. They wouldn't make any money off of something natural.

Orlando Saey medication is not good for your health cause it makes your immumesystem weaker let it go the disease let ure body defend your needs! you will need your imumesystem when the goverments system falls and you cannot rely on ure meds! nature has give us much more we dont need meds they let us think wen eed it!

  

Vipcottagellc Thelittlepeoplesplace Ah, I believe they do create cures in the experimentation process. BUT, agreed they don't sell them.

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See also: 
Drug Innovation 7: IFPMA, Superbugs and Tropical Diseases, December 04, 2012
Drug Innovation 8: Treating Men's Cancer, December 20, 2012 
Drug Innovation 9: Treating Lympho Leukemia and HIV/AIDS, January 10, 2013 
Drug Innovation 10: Cancer, H7N9 and Government, April 26, 2013