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Re: Is Big Pharma a Conspiracy or Not?
Posted: 10 Jan 2019, 23:14
by Swat3737
I definitely agree that the pharmaceutical companies are making a ton of money so they are motivated by that instead of what is actually healthiest. A couple years ago, a large healthcare provider that I worked with decided to remove all regular sodas from their facilities, only carrying diet sodas that were sweetened with sugar substitutes like Splenda. A coworker of mine freaked out about the ramifications 10-15 years down the road as those sugar substitutes could be just as bad, but this healthcare provider having them made visitors feel like that was the healthier option. I don't know if I believe the "conspiracy" is that intentional, but my coworker's concerns were very real and accurate.
Re: Is Big Pharma a Conspiracy or Not?
Posted: 10 Jan 2019, 23:38
by RaeReads
a9436 wrote: ↑03 Jan 2019, 08:46
I definitely see big pharma as a greedy, unethical symbol of capitalism, and it is refreshing to see a critique being given such attention.
My sentiments exactly. There's no money in the cure, so the pharmaceutical companies will do everything they can to ensure we don't get one. Sometimes you have to take your healthcare into your own hands. Natural and holistic methods are the best way to do that.
Re: Is Big Pharma a Conspiracy or Not?
Posted: 11 Jan 2019, 15:04
by Mindi
As a business, they are out to make money. So it is definitely a cause for concern in the world of medicine. If new medical discoveries are overcome by older methods, money will not come in. This is why I believe it's important to do research before automatically believing what big companies try to promote.
Re: Is Big Pharma a Conspiracy or Not?
Posted: 11 Jan 2019, 16:36
by chelhack
I am not sure weather to call it a conspiracy or ot but I do believe that they do not want the natural drugs to be brought to light so that they can captialize off sick people buying there drugs.
Re: Is Big Pharma a Conspiracy or Not?
Posted: 11 Jan 2019, 20:43
by kelsiemaxwell
I think big pharma is out to make as much money as they can whether it is harmful to patients or not. They hold patients hostage with high prices for necessary drugs. They do all they can to hold their exclusivity for patented drugs, though cheaper generics are available. This is the definition of conspiracy.
Re: Is Big Pharma a Conspiracy or Not?
Posted: 12 Jan 2019, 05:48
by Onyinye Excel
On a realistic note, I think the author's struggle was one any one could identify with. There are many 'Big Pharma's' in today's society. They look like they are there to help, but they are actually there to make money.It's more of business than saving lives so they fight anything that looks like it might disrupt their profit-making venture.
Re: Is Big Pharma a Conspiracy or Not?
Posted: 12 Jan 2019, 12:56
by lesler
Absolutely, it always has been. The source of this profitable business is the law lobbyists, paid to make sure these chemicals are allowed for use. It's despicable.
Re: Is Big Pharma a Conspiracy or Not?
Posted: 12 Jan 2019, 13:28
by steigerd
Having worked for big Pharma, being a customer of big Pharma, a customer of insurance companies, working in a hospital and a doctor's office, as well as being a patient and a patient advocate. I have seen the situation from various angles. It all comes down to the payors. The government and the insurance companies. Big Pharma is controlled by government regulations and it is not cheap to meet all the regulations to develop drugs, insurance companies decide which drugs the physicians are allowed to prescribe and when. Over the last several years several algorithms or as I call them cookbooks have been developed by the experts to treat a patient and if they are not utilized the patient or us the common man has to bear the cost. If we went back to self-pay and got rid of all the fluff it would be a lot cheaper, but do you want to buy drugs and medical treatments from the guy off the back of the manufacturing wagon. Also, we seem to want to live forever. What is wrong with accepting death. It is the natural progression.
Re: Is Big Pharma a Conspiracy or Not?
Posted: 12 Jan 2019, 21:30
by briellejee
steigerd wrote: ↑12 Jan 2019, 13:28
If we went back to self-pay and got rid of all the fluff it would be a lot cheaper, but do you want to buy drugs and medical treatments from the guy off the back of the manufacturing wagon.
I find this perspective a bit enlightening. Thanks for sharing!!
Re: Is Big Pharma a Conspiracy or Not?
Posted: 13 Jan 2019, 11:42
by Philip Chepsingil
becsimpson wrote: ↑07 Jan 2019, 10:07
I wouldn't say it was a 'conspiracy' per say. It's certainly a vast, money making scam, for sure. They're definitely ripping people off when they could be helping them for much lower costs, and people are dying as a result of it.
True. The people in this conspiracy don't care about lives. They only care about the money coming in even if the people they are ripping would become poor afterwards or they are already.
Re: Is Big Pharma a Conspiracy or Not?
Posted: 13 Jan 2019, 12:30
by Amanda Deck
jamiegross27 wrote: ↑10 Jan 2019, 00:14
"I certainly think there is some truth to collusion between Big Pharma, health insurance companies, and legislature, especially in the United States. What do you think?"
Ditto that, of course. But I also think we need to be careful not to dismiss the great strides of Westernized medicine. There seems to be a trend these days of landing firmly on one side of this debate or the other, without either side willing to admit concessions regarding the other. As someone who has a chronic illness and have tried all sorts of dietary and holistic methods to cure myself, mostly to no avail, I'm grateful for the drugs from big pharmaceutical companies that are keeping me alive. Would I rather not need to take anything, and feel whole by eating all natural foods and walking barefoot on the grass? You bet! But that's not a reality for me. All that being said, I do believe that there's collusion between pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, the government and the money to be made by keeping patients sick and addicted. That much is obvious. Yet, the fact remains that life expectancy has increased significantly along with the rise in pharmaceuticals. That's progress. Now, quality of life is a different story. Our ancestors could most like walk circles around us, simply because of the way they lived. So basically, there's gotta be a way for us to meet in the middle between the past and present.
Yes, yes, YES. We also have to accept that when either natural cures or conventional medicine 'goes wrong' (doesn't work or is worse than the initial illness), people make an infuriated uproar claiming 'the government' shouldn't have allowed it. The author made the point that these anti-quackery laws are no longer needed because people are all well-educated and informed now. But that's not true for many. There are still very many people who are not intelligent enough to do all the research on their own. And people who are suffering illnesses are often not clearheaded enough to do it either BECAUSE of the illness. People
are greedy, selfish, and unethical. People
do need laws and help. I have no answers.
Re: Is Big Pharma a Conspiracy or Not?
Posted: 14 Jan 2019, 12:14
by Zora C Penter
a9436 wrote: ↑03 Jan 2019, 08:46
I definitely see big pharma as a greedy, unethical symbol of capitalism, and it is refreshing to see a critique being given such attention.
There is more money to be gained off of a chronic, continuous use of prescriptive medicine than a cure as well.
Re: Is Big Pharma a Conspiracy or Not?
Posted: 14 Jan 2019, 13:53
by desareedany
I think big pharma is a real thing. Just thinking about Cancer and just how many different types there are, it seems crazy to me that in this day and age, there is no real promising cure for Cancer known and promoted out there in the mainstream media. We have vaccines for things that used to kill people just 50 years ago. We even have medicine that slows down the progression of AIDS which considering what AIDS does is very impressive. I just don't believe there really are no real treatments out there besides chemo and radiation.
Re: Is Big Pharma a Conspiracy or Not?
Posted: 14 Jan 2019, 16:24
by TJanowski23
I believe her story is true. This is not a new story. This happens all the time. Nature can cure illnesses but that doesn't make anyone money. However, I believe that most healthcare providers do want the best outcomes for their patients but they are not taught anything besides the traditional medical approach. Also lawsuits happen frequently to doctors trying to help their patients in a holistic way if those methods aren't effective. That's a hard place to be in for a doctor.
Re: Is Big Pharma a Conspiracy or Not?
Posted: 14 Jan 2019, 17:15
by Katherine Smith
I think that there is collusion between the pharmaceutical companies, the insurance companies and the government as evidence by the fact that pharmaceutical companies will lobby members of Congress to pass certain bills that favor them. It was also reported on 60 Minutes that for years the drug manufacturers have been meeting to discuss when they should raise and lower prices.