Drug Companies And The Government

Do you think government regulation of the drug industry is important? Why or why not?

"In the past two decades or so, health care has been commercialized as never before, and professionalism in medicine seems to be giving way to entrepreneurialism," commented Arnold S. Relman, professor of medicine and social medicine at Harvard Medical School (Wekesser 66). This statement may have a great deal of bearing on reality. The tangled knot of insurers, physicians, drug companies, and hospitals that we call our health system are not as unselfish and focused on the patients' needs as people would like to think. Pharmaceutical companies are particularly ruthless, many of them spending millions of dollars per year to convince doctors to prescribe their drugs and to convince consumers that their specific brand of drug is needed in

Cancer is a word which evokes many different images and emotions. Nothing in this world can prepare a person for the utter devastation of finding out someone has been diagnosed with cancer, especially when this person is a child. Over the past twenty five years the amount of research and the survival rate for children suffering with cancer have increased dramatically. Despite these successes, the funding for new research necessary to keep these children alive and healthy is miniscule and too dependent on short term grants. Of the billions of dollars spent each year on cancer treatments and research less than a third is contributed to researching pediatric cancer. Given the media focus on adult cancers, research for pediatric cancer is

With this is a copy of my justification report on the subject of funding and support of research in pediatric cancer and assisting poor parents of children suffering from cancer. This statement is a review of my findings from the most recent year of working in X Cancer Specialty Center, and a separate research that other researchers have conducted outside the center. This paper will be useful in justifying the funding of extensive research in pediatric cancer, and the necessity to assist parents of the cancer patients to meet medical costs. I have completed this report at no cost to the organization, and I carried out and completed this research during off hours.

Braden’s Hope For Childhood Cancer’s mission is to raise awareness and funds for research grants to hospitals and/or research institutions in the amount of $100,000. The reason for this specific number as opposed to smaller amounts is because it makes a sizeable difference for research and grants in that amount and is seen as “SEED money” making it more likely to contribute to a useful outcome. Childhood cancer is the #1 killer by disease among children, yet it continues to be overlooked and underfunded.

Out of 100,000 children 32.1 cancer diagnoses occur in the age group 0-14, 138.6 occur in the 15-39 age group, and 2,053.8 occur in 40 and older (cancer.gov). Pediatric cancer, being so rare, makes research and development hard to fund because there are not many eligible participants for each specific trial. This creates a “Catch 22” by having a good societal support system, yet not having enough “return-on-investment” (Milne). Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death in children after accidents, however the amount of deaths has lower drastically in recent years. The mortality rate as a whole has decreased by fifty percent in the last thirty years, however for patients with cancers other than lymphoma or leukemia the mortality rate has not declined since 1996 (Analysis of the National Cancer Institute’s Investment). Lymphoma and leukemia are the most common cancers that children are diagnosed with, but there are many more that can occur that need new research in order to discover ways to decrease the current mortality rate. In 1960 it was discovered that leukemia could be treated by “combination chemotherapy and dose intensity” this brought the curability up from 10% before this discovery to 80% by the 1990s (Norris and Adamson). Although this treatment has been successful for leukemia patients, the most common of childhood cancers, it is not as successful with other types of cancer. There are currently clinical trials that take place to begin trying to find treatments or cure for pediatric cancer, however because of lack of funding many of the trials do not continue or never really take off. Due to the lack of funding and efforts put forth into research for pediatric cancer more the 2,500 children die in America every year (thetruth365.org). Children diagnosed with cancer deserve more work to be put into finding a cure so they can go on to live long, happy

“Childhood cancers make up less than 1% of all cancers diagnosed each year”(What Are the Key statistics for Childhood Cancer). The creation of chemotherapy in the 1940’s showed off the progress that can be made, slowing down or potentially stopping the production of cancer cell. With continuous support of many cancer research hospitals and greater funds from the government we can swiftly abolish childhood cancer forever.

Cancer is figured to be the second leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. With approximately 14 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer related deaths in 2012, alone .Why are so many people stuck suffering with this deadly disease? Millions of dollars have been invested into cancer research, yet there is no cure. Are these pharmaceutical companies focus on finding a cure for cancer or concentrating on elongated treatments in order to lengthen their pockets? We must first understand that cancer is big business earning huge profits. Nonetheless, the cancer industry is spending virtually zilch of its multi-billion dollar resources on effective prevention strategies, like dietary guidelines, exercise, natural remedies and herbs proven to cure cancer. Instead, it pours its money into treating cancer, not preventing or allaying it.

What could be more heart rending than watching a child suffer the severe pain and side effects of cancer and its treatments? In Israel, children aged three to thirteen were given a small dose of an edible oil made from the THC, tetrahydrocannabinol, extracted from the resin of cannabis. The drug was administered two hours before undergoing chemotherapy, continuing every six hours for twenty-four hours. Vomiting was completely eliminated. Two patients exhibited mild irritability (Abrahamov, Abrahamov, & Mechoulam, 1995). What parent can hold their sick child knowing a treatment option exists, but is illegal to obtain, and not demand that things change?

Cancer. We all know someone who has suffered from it or has passed away because of it. Cancer now affects one in every three people, and is the second highest cause of death in the United States. For decades, the medical community has been on the hunt for a cure for cancer, and have been subjected to intense ridicule from the public because of a lack of progression toward a possible cure. In recent years, many scientists, doctors, researchers, and the general public have come to believe that the cure for cancer is being suppressed because of this lack of progress. Those who say it is suppressed claim that the drugs used to treat cancer actually cause cancer, making a patient sicker and sicker. As a result, the patients are forced to spend

In 2014 it was estimated that approximately 16000 children were diagnosed with cancer and approximately 2000 will die from the disease.(nih) However in 2010 it was estimated that there are almost 400,000 survivors that were diagnosed before the age of 19. That is amazing news. Almost half a century ago the outlook was not so bright almost 50% of children diagnosed with cancer would die within 5 years now there is an 80% survival rate. There are different rates for different types of cancer. The most common type of pediatric cancer that is diagnosed involves brain tumors and blood cancers. The mortality rates have greatly improved for leukemia going from 10% to 90% survival rates since the early 1970’s. On the flip side there are still some forms of cancer such as diffuse pontine glioma (brain

Poor regulation, Conflict of interest and unfair decisions on account of Big Pharmaceuticals in Canada

Cancer, one of the most feared words in our vocabulary of this time, especially in childhood (Druker 1). Most people when thinking of “childhood cancer” envision very young children, although a “Nation Institute of Health Policy concerning inclusion of children in clinical research defines children as being younger than twenty-one years of age while the Food and Drug Administration considers children to be fifteen years and younger” (Ries 158). That being said, most cancers incidence peak among children occurs during the first year of life (Gurney 149). Some of the most well-known nationwide childhood cancers are leukemia, brain cancer, and other central nervous system cancers (oeconline 1). In conjunction, “the side effects of treatment,

Arthur Hailey’s novels prove to be a success to this day, and his works develop and virtually perfect a highly efficient and profitable process of novel writing. Whether writing about the corruption of the pharmaceutical industry (Strong Medicine), or the airline industry (Airport), Arthur Hailey follows each novel along with the same formula, creating a duality between his novels. Hailey’s novels fall under the ‘sociological fiction’ genre, implying his understanding of soft science-fiction and bitter reality creating the prefaces of his novels. Hailey intertwines a mixture of the real and fictitious aspects of reality, and this remains evident through his setting and characters in the novels. His novels introduce a new brand of writing: created through the development of the post-war novel and his novels politically reflect the reforms his novels revolve around. After rigorous and thorough research for years on the background of his novels, Hailey begins to write, incorporating the influences of worldly affairs in his novels. Hailey, being born on April 5, 1920 at the end of the first World War and the beginning auras surrounding the ‘Roaring Twenties’, writes his novels surrounding many world views and affairs. Hailey’s novels reflect the times of the world, and his novels indefinitely do not shy

Along with saving lives and helping people live an ordinary life in comfort, the pharmaceutical industry makes billions of dollars every year; money that is invested in research/development as well as lining the pockets of shareholders. However, in the past two years the system has been abused by those hoping to make a hefty profit from buying or acquiring a drug and then raising the price ten or twenty-fold, often with the simple reason of greed or matching what other companies do (Johnson). Occasionally, such as in 2015, the United States Senate will scrutinize these CEOs, but with no real consequences added on other than bad publicity (Sternberg). What the federal government can do is to prevent this price-gouging via legislature that does not directly control the price of a drug, as in the past those types of economies fare poorly.