Selling Sickness

Here's a collection of vowels and consonants arranged into melodious, pleasant-sounding groupings, typically in three syllables:

Epanova, Jublia, Otezla, Afrezza, Farxiga, Vogelxo, Belsomra, Zerbaxa, Harvoni, Movantik, Osphena, Invokana, Sovaldi, Eliquis, Linzess, Lyrica, Xeljanz, Xarelto, Intermexxo, Soliris, Pradaxa, Prolia, Victoza, Dulera, Vimovo, Prevnar  

What do all these mean?  Literally, nothing.  And intentionally so.  What do they do?  Who knows?  But they sure sound nice in a TV ad.  They are brand names of a few of the prescription drugs introduced in the past five years.  



Prescription drugs are the 3rd-highest element in U.S. health care costs.  One hundred or more new drugs are approved by the FDA every year.  Every year.  Is medical science discovering that many brand new maladies each year?  How many different things can possibly go wrong with a human being?

Once upon a time, doctors and drug companies agreed that direct-to-consumer drug advertising was a bad idea.  The average consumer couldn't possibly evaluate a drug's claims or appropriateness.  And doctors cringed at the idea of patients badgering them for specific prescriptions.

But throught the 1980's and 1990's, the FDA steadily and dramatically relaxed the rules for pharmaceutical advertising.  Today, the Nielsen Co. estimates that across the spectrum of cable and bradcast, there is an average of 100 drug ads every hour of every day on American TV.  And every one of 'em ends with, "Ask your doctor if _____ is right for you."

And a whole lot of people do just that.  The ads work, prescriptions are written, drugs are sold, and we all pay to one extent or another.

Are all these new drugs improving our health outcomes in any measurable way?  Hell no.  (How many times can a sleeping pill really be "improved"?)  Are all the new drugs improving Big Pharma's bottom line?  Hell yes!

Pharmaceutical companies are shamelessly profiteering by selling sickness to a gullible public.
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Ass-wipe of the Month

This rant was spurred by one Martin Shkreli, ass-wipe former hedgefund manager who bought a pharmaceutical company and, overnight, jacked the price of an essential infection-treatment drug from $13.50 per pill to $750!  When he drew heavy criticism from all corners, he said he "couldn't care less" and that the $750 price tag was "not excessive at all."