From: Sh0shanna@aol.com
Date: Sat Apr 9, 2005 12:28 pm
Subject: WOW!!!! UK Parliament SMASHES Big Pharma...
This is astounding!
UK Parliament SMASHES Big Pharma...
Opinion by Consumer Advocate Tim Bolen
http://www.quackpotwatch.org/opinionpieces/tim%20bolen.htm
Thursday, April 7th, 2005
Just two days ago, in my newsletter article
The Coming "US Health Movement v. Big Pharma"
http://www.quackpotwatch.org/opinionpieces/ComingCodexWar.htm
Codex War..., http://www.quackpotwatch.org/opinionpieces/ComingCodexWar.htm
I announced the demise of Big Pharma's attempt to shut down the supplement
industry. But little did I know at the time that that day, Tuesday, April 5th,
2005, would go down in the annals as a double-whammy of Big Pharma's
murderous intent. Wait 'til you read this.
Sit up straight. For, this story you are almost NOT going to believe. I'm
going to have to convince you with data. To do that I'm going to tell you that
you are going to have to do what I just did - you're going to have to read a
126 page report just issued by the British government titled "House of Commons
Health Committee - THE INFLUENCE OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY"
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmhealth/42/42.pdf
The British government is setting up the "guillotine." There's going to be a
"Bastille Day" in London. Sell your pharmaceutical stock - quick.
This morning I received an e-mail from health freedom advocate Larry Hanus
(ljhanz@yahoo.com) who said:
Dear Friends,
This is a most important document. I encourage you to read it in it's
entirety. Please make time to do so. You might want to read through the
conclusions and recommendations beginning on page 97 of the report, then go back
and
read the entire document.
Please ensure that your legislators have a copy of this. The UK has provided
an excellent blueprint of what can and MUST be done here in the United States
with regards to restoring the proper balance between the pharmaceutical
industry, it's regulatory agency, our political leaders and the public trust.
As
those who worked on this document conclude - the welfare and health of the
people is of paramount importance. All decisions made should ultimately be to
benefit the public health.
I did just what Larry said to do - and he was absolutely right. This report
is dynamite. The conclusions and recommendations are ASTOUNDING. They sound
like they came out of the mouth of the North American Health Freedom Movement.
For example:
The commercial success of the industry is not in doubt, nor is its ability to
produce excellent science and important drugs; however, its ability to put
the health of the nation consistently before the needs and expectations of its
shareholders may be questioned. The evidence to this inquiry indicated that, in
recent years, large pharmaceutical companies have become ever more focused on
a marketing-based approach. In our view, this is the source of many of the
problems we have identified. However, these problems are global and we received
no evidence that the situation in the UK was worse than in other countries.
In Chapter 8 we examined the overall influence of the pharmaceutical
industry. It is widely welcomed and relied on, but it is also pervasive and
persistent. Our over-riding concerns are about the volume, extent and intensity
of the
industry’s influence, not only on clinical medicine and research but also on
patients, regulators, the media, civil servants and politicians.
The failings we have described have consequences, in particular: The unsafe
use of drugs; and The increasing medicalisation of society. These problems
have existed in many countries. The UK may have a better record than many
others. Drugs have been used unsafely in every country and we have no doubt that
the
drift towards medicalisation is a global phenomenon.
I won't go into what the report said about "the unsafe use of drugs" - for
the Vioxx scandal, et al, are common knowledge. Read the report about those
findings. But what I find terribly enlightening is their section on "The
increasing medicalisation of society." For example:
A major and recurring issue raised during the inquiry is the increased ‘
medicalisation’ of our society – the pill for every problem.
The belief that every problem may be solved with medication seems
particularly relevant in the context of antidepressants. While we readily accept
that
antidepressants can be effective medicines and have been successfully used by
many patients,... Unhappiness is part of the spectrum of human experience, not a
medical condition.
This trend has not been created by the pharmaceutical industry but it has
been encouraged by it. The industry has acted, in the words of some witnesses,
as
a “disease-mongerâ€, with the aim of categorising an increasing number of
individuals as ‘abnormal’ and thereby requiring (drug) treatment. This
process
has led to an unhealthy over-reliance on, and an over-use of, medicines. It
also diverts resources and priorities from more significant diseases and health
problems.
The "Conclusions" section of the report reads like one of my opinion pieces.
But, what will stun you is the report's "Recommendations." There were forty
eight (48) of those, all told, which, basically, would shut down Big Pharma's
pervasive influence and control, and provide attention to non-drug therapies.
These included: (1) removal of most drug advertising, (2) tighter
monitoring of drugs before and after launch, (3) government funding for non-drug
alternatives, (4) monitoring of funding of "patient" groups, (5) training in
medical schools on how to evaluate drugs versus non-drug therapies, and much,
much,
much, much, more.
Read the report - "House of Commons Health Committee - THE INFLUENCE OF THE
PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY"
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmhealth/42/42.pdf
We are heading for a health care
"Nuremberg..."
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/nuremberg/nuremberg.htm
And, it's about time...
Stay tuned...
Tim Bolen - Consumer Advocate
jurimed2@yahoo.com
