Marcia Angell

Anyone who has purchased prescription medications has probably wondered why they cost so much, and rightfully so. Medication prices in the United States have been on a steady increase for decades, however, prices have been drastically increasing as of recent. Pharmaceutical companies have tried to justify these price increases due to the demand, the high cost of research, and the high costs of development and approval. Notwithstanding, the extent to which the prices have increased is not justifiable. Americans should be against these high medication prices and take action because pharmaceutical companies are taking advantage of our health care system in order to capitalize from the sick. In order shed some light on this issue, we must examine the magnitude, scope, and consequences of these rises in price.

When asked most people will say they are on at least one medication whether it be something over the counter or prescription. John Tirman in his book “100 Ways America Is Screwing up the World” writes about Big Pharma and how it has become both a domestic and global problem. Tirman discusses how American drug companies have a greater profit margin then most fortune 500 companies writing, “in 2004, the top nine American drug companies- this listed on Fortune 500- made median profit margin of 16 percent of revenues compared with 5.23 percent for other Fortune 500 industries” (Tirman 90). He goes on to talk more about how Big Pharma is dominating the industry, telling the reader that they are spending more on advertising than research. Tirman

Many have accused that Food and Drug Administration is not aggressively monitoring drugs prices, the FDA is in charge of regulating devices and drug production. Big Pharma spends billions of dollars annually on direct-to- consumer advertising which entitles manipulative strategies (4). The theory behind such good progress is the company attracts doctors, scientist, and other health related personnel’s. Medical research teams and doctors conduct extensive research with funds from Big Pharma. Even though many accuse Big Pharma for not following their mission statement it has not restricted them from purchasing their prescriptions medications. Big Pharma a company with many tactics and strategies, have been hiring former government workers whom have authoritative links to gain political influence. Currently, they have hired, 36 who worked for a member of Congress, 13 who worked for a federal agency, 2 who worked for the White House (4). With influenced members from Congress, they use their connection to reach their company goals. Unfortunately, U.S law permits drug manufacture companies to set prescriptions drugs prices without any restriction from the FDA. On the other hand, other countries set a limit on what companies can charge bases on the benefit of the drug (4). There are many hidden facts, which Big Pharma does not reveal; for example, the company spends double the amount of advertising then they do on research. Persuasion is the key to pharmaceutical industry, paying physicians/surgeons to incorporate their names on research articles, with the intent of getting published in

The medical world has noticed several changes and improvements during the past century, but maybe none that 's as economically rewarding afterward the prescription drug business. New medications turn-up regular and maintain to treat a growing number of ailments. Around the corner of each and every block is a drugstore as well as their shelves are stocked with prescription drugs plus it looks they 're here to stay. Most frequently we change to

First off, Big Pharma has a huge influence over the medical world and this has proved harmful to this industry for many reasons. Big Pharma companies have bought their way into the world of regularly used medications despite all the baggage they carry. Even with using many forms of bribery, “the $310 billion pharmaceutical industry quietly buys something far more influential” than anything they have to offer to the physicians they work with, and that is “the contents of medical journals and, all too often, the trajectory of medical research itself” (Washington 1). By buying their way into medical journals, these pharmaceutical companies buy the ability to advertise their products to thousands of physicians, even if these products have never been properly tested. This can be very misleading when a product, which may be very ineffective or even dangerous, is advertised in a very credible medical journal solely because the journal is heavily dependent on the profits attained from advertising for the company. In a 1992, for example, editors from the medical journal Annals of Internal

In recent years, the costs of all forms of medication have skyrocketed. If you or a loved one has been to the hospital recently, you know that the cost of the drugs is absurd. Many people believe that Big Pharma is to blame. Big Pharma is an industry term that refers to the large multinational drug companies that command a majority of the global pharmaceutical market. These companies have been accused of many scandalous actions including spending more money on new drug marketing rather than product development, as well as specifically targeting doctors who prescribe more drugs. Several controversial business techniques employed by Big Pharma are also to blame. Big Pharma has also had a large impact on the recent opioid crisis with numerous

The Pharmaceutical industry has been in the spotlight for decades due to the fact that they have a reputation for being unethical in its marketing strategies. In The Washington Post Shannon Brownlee (2008) states, “We try never to forget that medicine is for the people. It is not for the profits. The profits follow.” This honorable statement is completely lost in today’s world of pharmaceutical marketing tactics. These tactics are often deceptive and biased. Big Pharma consistently forgets their moral purpose and focuses primarily on the almighty dollar. Big Pharma is working on restoring their reputation by reforming their ethical code of conduct.

Do we accuse drug companies who force their products on us while addressing the potential risks and side effects in a laissez faire manner? Is it the doctors who over-prescribe? Or should the blame fall on the patients’ desperate cravings for a medication that will cure their diseases and numb their pains? There is no direct answer. There are so many factors that come into play throughout this

“There is no evidence to suggest that the pill works any better except, perhaps, for doctors and the middlemen supplying them. They can charge $3.45, or about five times as much as a five- or 10-milligram pill.” (Meier 1). The medical field nowadays is mostly for profit. The Hatch-Waxman Act encourages the manufacture of generic drugs by the pharmaceutical industry and established the modern system of government generic drug regulation in the United States..”Nearly 25 years before the passage of the Hatch–Waxman Act, consumer advocates on and off of Capitol Hill complained that the high cost of drugs was driven by the protection of brand monopolies long after original patent monopolies had expired.” (Greene 1). Prescription monopolies rule the medical field, and control medication

I aim to explain the drug development process, to explore the legal and ethical implications associated with wrongful off-label prescribing, and provide my recommendations for reform of the pharmaceutical industry. I will consistently refer to the GlaxoSmithKline case to display the maleficent inner workings of the multinational pharmaceutical company. Glaxo was involved in the biggest health care fraud settlement in U.S. history for introducing and encouraging physicians to off-label prescribe their patients six misbranded drugs, Paxil, Wellbutrin, Advair, Lamictal, Avandia and Zofran. Kickbacks were paid to physicians that prescribed those drugs but also for the drugs Imitrex, Flovent, Lotronex, and Valtrex. Glaxo also failed to report safety data to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Avandia, a diabetes drug. I find this issue to be so important because I hope to pursue a career in health law. My health policy major and relevant coursework ignited my interest in the legal issues strewn throughout our health care system.

There has been increasing controversy surrounding pharmaceutical marketing and influence as accusations and findings of influence on doctors and other health professionals through drug reps, including the constant provision of marketing 'gifts' and biased information to health professionals have lead to the suspicion of influencing doctors decisions in a way that profits the pharmaceutical company which in some cases has resulted in doctors prescribing products which would not benefit the patient at all or less than other drugs. Some advocacy groups, such as No Free Lunch, have often criticized the effect of drug marketing to physicians but the huge lobby the industry has established make it difficult for such activists groups to achieve any

The pharmaceutical industry should be profitable. It has produced new drugs and treatments, which have saved lives and improved the quality of life. However, at the moment this industry engages in monopolistic

Through the years, the pharmaceutical companies’ and government’s roles in healthcare and regulation has adjusted due to the rapidly changing state of the country. The population of the United States has surged in the past fifteen years with an influx of about thirty-six million citizens, and rapid growth calls for rapid change. Unfortunately, bad habits have become rooted in America’s government practices, lobbying, bribery, and overall sluggish pace due to red tape has hurt the healthcare situation in the country.

There is a need for greater transparency within the pharmaceutical industry and the media. Motivated

Since its creation, Mylan Pharmaceuticals has been in several legal battles and has faced a number of ethical quandaries. These litigations have taken the company from a corporation “free of problems” (Freudenheim, 1989) to a company who has been vilified for its extreme and insensitive price hikes on life-saving medications. While the negative press has created a public that is less than trusting, Mylan has maintained the company is still invested in providing high quality products for a low cost because they “care about the people who are helped by what they do” (Mylan, 2017).