Furious Seasons

October 23, 2006

The Arrogance Of Pharma Companies

Last week, I wrote a post attacking docs for trying to use antipsychotics to prevent psychosis in teens in advance of an episode of psychosis in the patients. I am opposed to such research on ethical grounds and this particular study showed that this approach wasn't effective at all. Nonetheless, docs want to study this approach some more. Because pateients are clearly guinea pigs. And we've got to create an environment for pharma companies to go around and proclaim that X percent of the American public should take antipsychotics because people are deemed to be at-risk of psychosis.

The study researchers defended their approach, claiming that it was analagous to given a person cholesterol-reducing drugs before they have a heart attack. That's bullshit. Anyway, John McManamy happened to be at a NAMI fundraiser in Washington, D.C. last week. Guess what he ran into?

"Funny you should bring this up. Last night, I was at a gala NAMI fundraiser in DC. BMS was picking up the tab. The Pres or VP of BMS Neuroscience [Bristol Myers Squibb] got up to say his perfunctory two or three words, which turned out to be a shameless promotion for Abilify. Among other things, he mentioned psychiatric meds in the context of prevention. He specifically used as an example of patients who have never had a heart attack taking heart meds. One guess what he was driving at?
If we were talking about an illness we actually knew something about, in a population with a very high risk probability of onset, with drugs that were predictably effective and tolerable then the conversation would be a lot different."

Posted by Philip Dawdy at October 23, 2006 08:16 AM

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Comments

I think this is just an very good example of American society/culture.

Pharma companies make big bucks based on the fact that American's want it all yesterday.

Better sex, better mental health, better headache remedies, and American's are known now for being impatient, hell look at the fastfood industry, or look at weight loss gimmicks.

We are a product of our own culture. Like it or not.

My bet is: there will be people that take preventive antipsychotics, just in case, heaven forbid they appear abnormal.

That's where this is going.

More arrogance in American society than pharmaceutical companies. They are just taking our stats every time we buy a quick fix for something from Tums to Viagra. American consumers, are blockbuster stock boosters.

Posted by: Stephany at October 23, 2006 05:28 PM

Big pharma should rebuild it's public image.Recent survey shows only about 9% of Americans trust them,this is the same as the tobacco companies.

Hey,they have an estimated 90,000 drug reps in the USA promoting to doctors.

Eli Lilly has a rich humanitarian history,but if you do a blog search of "Eli Lilly and "zyprexa (their blockbuster) keywords you will find much negative blogging.

Some of it is from claimants of their Zyprexa settlement like myself who are still awaiting promised resolution.
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Danny Haszard Eli Lilly customer

Posted by: Daniel Haszard at October 25, 2006 11:14 AM

Anyone seent the movie "Equilibrium"? That is where we are headed. If the pharma's keep deciding who is a risk then we will lose the right to seek help on our own.

The movie is very extreme, as most movies are, but the concept is not. We are well on our way to having other people telling us what meds we have to take. A lot of people are already there.

As for Abilify.I for one am not a fan. I took it for 3 days.I immediately felt like my knees belonged to a 70 year old woman, and I am only 31. I made my doctor take me off of it.

I am not one of those patients who follows my doctor blindly. I look up all my meds. Not just on the pharma's website, but places like this one as well. The pharma's are not going to tell you that there is anything wrong with there product. They would be sinking their own ship.

I think it is a patients duty to find the best meds for them. If they don't they are letting other people run their mind

Posted by: kwillis at November 1, 2006 11:48 AM