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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group
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To: TimF who wrote (262238)4/22/2008 2:48:58 PM
From: geode00  Read Replies (1) of 281500
 
That is incorrect, drug companies can choose to not peddle their wares to Medicare and stick only to private health care providers. They can also sell their wares overseas. They are not obligated, at least I don't see how they can be, to sell to anyone. Isn't this the capitalist way? Since when is having a big customer that drives down prices not part of the American system?

Have you ever tried to sell to Walmart?

Frankly, since so many drugs have questionable benefits and bad side effects, it may be a good thing to reduce the American reliance on drugs and increase reliance on things like fresh foods, exercise and stress reduction.

Drug companies pay less for R&D than they do for marketing and advertising. This has become a chronic problem as they market directly to consumers who then bug their doctors who give them drugs they may or may not need. I know people who regularly berate their doctors because they see an ad, think they have this or that disorder and their doctors just give in and let them try one thing or another. It is bad medicine all the way around.

Heck, drug companies are finally being taken to task for using sex to peddle their wares by hiring very attractive young people to hang out with the docs. Pathetic but true especially when health is at stake. Drug companies (whistle blower lawsuit pending I believe) have also been found to get pharmacists to change doctor's prescriptions at hospitals. The hospitals get lower prices if they use the company's drugs for X % of the time.

This is serious problem as brand name drugs aren't always an exact match for the competitive product.
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