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The drug companies spend billions on research and development. It's extremely expensive to engineer, produce and test drugs. There are so many phases of drug testing that take years and money. And even after all this time and money, if the drug fails to be safe in clinical trials, it's over! Imagine spending a billion dollars to produce a drug and then have it not work out. Let me give you an example, Phizer spent hundreds of millions of dollars creating the drug torcetrapib. This drug was unique in that elevates HDL significantly which is another strategy lower one's risk of coronary artery disease. The current cholesterol lowering drugs focus on lowering LDL. However, one's risk for CAD is considerably reduced if a patient is able to elevate their HDL over 60. It had a lot of promise and many people were anticipating the arrival of this drug. Unfortunately, it failed clinical trials.
How does this related to this topic? Well drug companies spend billions producing drugs only for some hack in a third world country or a socialized country to pirate and exploit the research the drug company spent a lot of money producing themselves. That's how these countries are able to offer prescriptions for such a cheap price...they didn't produce it!
One more thing...ever wonder why more cancer drugs and other unique medication aside from cholesterol and pain medications aren't being made...the reason is because the government stopped paying for those drugs so the pharmaceutical industry stopped making drugs that people could use and instead put their efforts on making another statin and viagra to make money. You can thank the government for that. We can waste 100 billion dollars per year in Afghanistan but we can't pay for medications that people need.
The drug companies spend billions on research and development. It's extremely expensive to engineer, produce and test drugs. There are so many phases of drug testing that take years and money. And even after all this time and money, if the drug fails to be safe in clinical trials, it's over! Imagine spending a billion dollars to produce a drug and then have it not work out. Let me give you an example, Phizer spent hundreds of millions of dollars creating the drug torcetrapib. This drug was unique in that elevates HDL significantly which is another strategy lower one's risk of coronary artery disease. The current cholesterol lowering drugs focus on lowering LDL. However, one's risk for CAD is considerably reduced if a patient is able to elevate their HDL over 60. It had a lot of promise and many people were anticipating the arrival of this drug. Unfortunately, it failed clinical trials.
How does this related to this topic? Well drug companies spend billions producing drugs only for some hack in a third world country or a socialized country to pirate and exploit the research the drug company spent a lot of money producing themselves. That's how these countries are able to offer prescriptions for such a cheap price...they didn't produce it!
You know that primary research is mainly paid for by taxes, and that drugs companies spend (if I remember correctly) 10 times more on marketing and advertising than R & D?
The part that really is unconscionable is that some of that money being paid by the pharmaceutical companies for sales and marketing is done to pimp drugs for unapproved indications and/or for unapproved populations. Even when they are fined for their behavior, their profits for that illegal and immoral activity far exceeds the penalties.
You know that primary research is mainly paid for by taxes, and that drugs companies spend (if I remember correctly) 10 times more on marketing and advertising than R & D?
That isn't true. And to add to my point, I only referenced drugs that were successful, the vast majority of the medication they attempt to produce never pass clinical trials.
You know that primary research is mainly paid for by taxes, and that drugs companies spend (if I remember correctly) 10 times more on marketing and advertising than R & D?
I'd really like to see the source of this information.
The part that really is unconscionable is that some of that money being paid by the pharmaceutical companies for sales and marketing is done to pimp drugs for unapproved indications and/or for unapproved populations. Even when they are fined for their behavior, their profits for that illegal and immoral activity far exceeds the penalties.
Provide an example. Viagra was an antihypertensive that had certain positive side effects and was then prescribed for erectile dysfunction.
I'd really like to see the source of this information.
Don't bother, it doesn't exist. He will just provide some X-Files or some random website from a conspiracy theorist who makes all these unsubstantiated claims. That's why I simply said it isn't true because anyone who is educated on this topic knows that isn't true.
If you don't like the cost of a drug, be brave, do without it. Quit whinning. I get tired of hearing all the "for profit" whinning. Do any of you work for free? Things cost money. Do you have any idea how much r&d costs? How long it takes to get a new drug on the market do to the FDA? If you want socialist benefits, move to a socialist country and quit trying to ruin this country.
You have absolutely know clue at all. But one day you will.
As stated earlier Pharma charges what they want period, because they can in the states, let me restate that "The Can". Most meds are marked up hundreds of thousands of a percent for each pill manufactured and there is a website that will calculate these for your for each med. Pharma companies can't get away with this in many modern countries because they are negotiated with, the US pays full retail price in most cases.
There are 3 meds I pay out of pocket for my wife who has a chronic condition at a hefty price of $800 per month. These are not rare drugs but common well advertised drugs.
You know that primary research is mainly paid for by taxes, and that drugs companies spend (if I remember correctly) 10 times more on marketing and advertising than R & D?
Bunch of nonsense.
I have worked in Big Pharma (please put the tar & feathers away) and saw it all from the inside. Big Pharma is neither a charity nor a ward of the government.
If it was simply a matter of the government subsidizing all primary research for pharmaceuticals, then France, Sweden or some other nation would dominate the industry rather than the US.
As was said, it is very expensive to develop a drug. Think of like a compact disk. A pill, like a CD, is cheap enough to manufacture- that is the actual physical result. But the band that recorded the CD needed hours of rehearsal time, music lessons, studio time, equipment, paid engineers, etc, etc.
Likewise a drug results from years and years of research, testing, clearing bureacratic hurdles, and yes marketing and distribution. Scientists and doctors do not work for free- Do You? If the producer of a product, any product, cannot recoup the costs and make a profit, then they are not going to produce anything.
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