Big Pharma causes Big Problems

The more I see of the pharmaceutical industry's (a.k.a. "Big Pharma") influence on how we think about human behaviors and their treatment, the more worried I become. 

 Alternet's articles, " How Pharma Giants Are Getting Rich By Calling Our Life Problems 'Medical Disorders'" and "Do You Have Excessive Sleepiness? Shift Work Sleep Disorder? Big Pharma Hopes So" are perfect examples of what I'm talking about. 

An article in the Daily Finance finds the Food and Drug Administration almost doubling the number of warnings they're making to drugmakers for questionable marketing practices.

The good news?

A psychiatrist friend was telling me this weekend that the American Psychiatric Association (APA) made a ruling in May of this year to ban gifts from Big Pharma.  No more trips, pens, notepads, etc. bearing the name of the drug.  No more freebies to endear themselves to psychiatrists and their office staff.  Nothing.  The only thing that is still allowed are the catered meals.  I hope this is true.  This is a major step to limiting the influence of a corporate interest upon the medical decisions of treating psychiatrists. 

My colleague also said they APA is now discussing the influence of Big Pharma on research studies and discussing how to limit that.  Let us keep our fingers crossed!

Comments

[rox]

Another one! I am equally concerned about this phenomenon. It's so diffucult to find studies that are done with about bias whether pro/against pharmeceutical use for mental well being. In my mind, I think if we are looking for a cure with meds, let's look for a CURE. Current research plain and simply doesn't desire to look for that. It's assumed as a given that x drug will be continually given. That right there is a problem. If a certain area of the brain is struggling, then doesn't it make sense that we might use similar techniques that are used with brain injured patients to in fact... help the brain ?HEAL?

The current climate seeks to define all mental variation from the norm as illness and all as permentantly in need of medication--- any link we can see with profit margin there (doh!).

[Tonya]

PLEASE take 30 seconds to sign this petition and forward it on! Maybe we can make a change!! :) http://healthcare.change.org/petitions/view/stop_pharmaceutical_companies_from_getting_away_with_murder