Should pharmaceutical companies develop drugs to enhance us?
March 5th, 2010 | by admin |Instead of only focusing on drugs to fix existing problems.
Examples are drugs that can make us smarter, live
longer…and so on.
Drug companies are busy enough coming up with drug studies that make it look like their drugs are more effective than they are.
Smoking gun: Many, but how about a major (over 8 billion in revenue) anti-inflammatory that was found to be no more effective than ibuprofen according to an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine. A spokesperson from the FDA also said that over 60,000 Americans died as a direct result from taking that drug.
Or how about an osteoperosis drug that was said to reduce risk of fracturing by 33% when the actually study data showed that it was actually a 1% reduction in risk, and the study was only performed on a group of people already considered to be at high risk for fracturing.
Don’t think for a second that the drug companies, or the FDA, are out there campaigning for your good health. About 50% of the operating budget for the FDA is paid for by the drug companies and people at the director level there and at the NIH have already been caught with their hands in the cookie jar of big drug company payouts.
Remember, all drugs are poisons. You are not defficient in a single drug under the Sun. Do you really think a poison is going to enhance the function of any part of your body?
Finally, under the framework of drug use, there must be a disease or symptom which is being treated by the drug. So your "make me smarter" example would require the establishment of a disease that says you’re dumb without the drug.
Preposterous claims? The FDA has created an institutional system that supports the preposterous claims made by the drug companies on a regular basis.
7 Responses to “Should pharmaceutical companies develop drugs to enhance us?”
By bmac on Mar 5, 2010 | Reply
No. Pharmaceutical companies have a hard enough time researching and getting the drugs they make to treat conditions out there to us. It costs hundreds of millions to make 1 drug.
There are companies out there making products that they claim "enhance" us already. But these companies do not do the research and testing and clinical trials that the pharmaceutical companies do—and that’s why these products that just sound too good to be true…ARE scams.
If you live right, eat right, exercise….you have a VERY good chance of living a long (into your 80s), healthy life. If you are unfortunate to contract a disease/condition…be grateful that the pharmaceutical companies are out there working to come up with treatments for what you hope you NEVER get.
I work for a private company that investigates/researches what the FDA is doing. And the FDA regulates what pharmaceutical, device, biologic companies and doctors are doing out there.
References :
FDA researcher
By misskitty on Mar 5, 2010 | Reply
they are called vitamins and minerals, and no, pharm companies will not develop them. all they want is our money, and if we are healthier, we will not purchase their drugs, or as many of them. why do we need a drug for everything? and when we get side effects from that, we are prescribed another drug to combat those effects, on and on it goes…
References :
By David S on Mar 5, 2010 | Reply
Drug companies are busy enough coming up with drug studies that make it look like their drugs are more effective than they are.
Smoking gun: Many, but how about a major (over 8 billion in revenue) anti-inflammatory that was found to be no more effective than ibuprofen according to an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine. A spokesperson from the FDA also said that over 60,000 Americans died as a direct result from taking that drug.
Or how about an osteoperosis drug that was said to reduce risk of fracturing by 33% when the actually study data showed that it was actually a 1% reduction in risk, and the study was only performed on a group of people already considered to be at high risk for fracturing.
Don’t think for a second that the drug companies, or the FDA, are out there campaigning for your good health. About 50% of the operating budget for the FDA is paid for by the drug companies and people at the director level there and at the NIH have already been caught with their hands in the cookie jar of big drug company payouts.
Remember, all drugs are poisons. You are not defficient in a single drug under the Sun. Do you really think a poison is going to enhance the function of any part of your body?
Finally, under the framework of drug use, there must be a disease or symptom which is being treated by the drug. So your "make me smarter" example would require the establishment of a disease that says you’re dumb without the drug.
Preposterous claims? The FDA has created an institutional system that supports the preposterous claims made by the drug companies on a regular basis.
References :
"Selling Sickness" By Ray Moynihan and Alan Cassels
"Health Wars" By Phillip Day
"Powerful Medicines" By Jerry Avorn, MD
"The Truth About The Drug Companies" By Marcia Angell, MD (former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine)
"The Cholesterol Myths" Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD
"Money Talks" DVD Interviews with MDs on their experiences with drug research they’re paid to sign off on and the things drug reps tell them to push new meds
By Casually Blonde on Mar 5, 2010 | Reply
What David S said is spot on!! I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Pharmaceutical companies are only in it for the $$$$$$
FDA is only in it for the $$$$$$$
I know for a fact when they discover new research findings that don’t help them expand their wallets, they will neglect and reject these findings and further push drug sales.
References :
Noel Batten – "Autism – The Greatest Medical Injustice"
This book covers not only autism, but many other disorders and illnesses, and discusses how medical doctors are trained to push drug sales, even though they know certain conditions are treatable.
By Jfb on Mar 5, 2010 | Reply
Pharmaceutical companies, like any other commercial venture, are in business to make a profit. If any substance is found to make us smarter, live longer, etc., and drug companies can synthesize and standardize that substance, then they will in fact attempt to do so. And they should, because that’s exactly what they’re in business to do.
And again I feel I should point out that companies that sell natural, homeopathic, herbal, etc. remedies are also making a profit. The difference is that nobody is holding these "alternative" companies accountable for their preposterous claims or the damage that can result from misusing some of their products. Ask Kevin Trudeau how much money he made selling coral calcium to the masses. And these same companies are even more likely to overlook research that contradicts their claims than drug companies will ever be.
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By teddi p on Mar 5, 2010 | Reply
hahahahahahahahaha,good one dude! they are trying like hell…however the fda frowns on drugging the population…
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By Skittles on Mar 6, 2010 | Reply
no but no one seems tobelieve it. Not enough people
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