The May 31 CBS "Evening News" spun a recent international health incident into ammunition for an attack on the pharmaceutical companies.
After the program updated viewers on the tuberculosis scare caused by one infected man's European honeymoon, reporter Nancy Cordes launched into the blame game.
“Why haven’t more drugs been developed to fight disease with the potential to kill thousands?” asked Cordes, the CBS Transportation and Consumer Safety correspondent.
She then quoted a doctor who blamed the bottom line.
“Pharmaceutical companies live to make a profit and if antibiotics, for example, because they’re used for usually 7 to 14 days, maybe as long as a month, can’t generate the same kind of profits as a new cholesterol agent or the new Viagra, which a person might take for years,” said Dr. Eric Nuermberger, an assistant professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.
Nowhere in the CBS report, did Cordes include a drug industry response to that charge. But leaving the pharmaceutical industry out of stories on medical “controversies” or breakthroughs is not unusual.
A Business & Media Institute study found that nearly 80 percent of those stories exclude the viewpoint of the industry, failing to include either a company statement or spokesman.
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Drug companies
June 1, 2007 - 11:30 ET by kbworkmanWhat world does this twit live in.
She acts like antibiotcs are candy.
Part of the reason that we don't have new antibiotics to stop the drug resistant strains, that have developped partially due to the overuse/mis-use of antibiotics, is that the new antibiotics are dangerous. The day of take these and call me if you don't feel better are about over.
If she really thinks that the pharm companies aren't racing to come up with a better, survivable solution she should do her homework.
The drug company that can get one to market first will make a mint. Her argument only shows that she doesn't live in the same world as the rest of us.
There are new vaccines bein
June 1, 2007 - 13:23 ET by Front_RangeThere are new vaccines being tested at CSU (Colorado):
http://www.9news.com...
Libs hate profits (except the
June 1, 2007 - 12:19 ET by mattmLibs hate profits (except their own). They think that the profit motive is bad, when in reality it is a time tested and true, not to mention the best, way to ensure that people have what they need.
This is why so-called "price gouging" is a good thing - i.e. after a hurricane the prices of all kinds of survival products goes up, thus providing an incentive for moving necessary supplies into the devastated areas...
Libs can't seem to get their Marx-infested minds around this concept...thus the typical spin of the article in question... No bias? Ha!
Maybe because they'll have to
June 1, 2007 - 12:28 ET by Hero SquadMaybe because they'll have to spend a large amount of money to possibly find a cure, only to be criticized by the same media for "gauging" the public when the drug company is finally able to produce it.
*****
"Was it a millionaire who said 'Imagine no possessions?'" - Elvis Costello
Or, being sued if the patient
June 1, 2007 - 23:18 ET by MikeBOr, being sued if the patient misuses/abuses the medication in question, or, if they have an allergic reaction to it, or...
"A communist is someone who reads Marx. An anti-communist is someone who understands Marx." Ronald Reagan
"Being sued" isn'
June 1, 2007 - 23:29 ET by sarcasmo"Being sued" isn't the only potential bad result these days of misbehaving patients, at least for individual doctors. For executives of big drug companies, the results of actual bad acts vs patient-misbehavior are only somewhat unpleasant, and generally they're unpleasant for the stockholders rather than the bad-acting fatcats. The case of "criminal" individual doctors (doctors who, unlike big pharma, don't lie) whose patients misbehave but who can't make the same level of political contributions fatcat corporate executives from big pharma can make is obviously different in some way that's beyond sarcasmo's limited ken, and therefore these days individual doctors must be afforded fewer rights than fatcat corporate executives, but nobody should ever complain about it. At least, that's the reality I've seen, despite a biased news media determined not to report it...
JMR
Other than that could any o
June 1, 2007 - 12:37 ET by Right2thePointOther than that could any one quote me the odds as to the new son in law of a TB researcher being revealed as having come down with drug resistant TB.
Just asking.
“Pharmaceutical companies l
June 1, 2007 - 13:16 ET by Rackie“Pharmaceutical companies live to make a profit ..."
HOLY CRAP, BATMAN!
Since when is it the fault of Pharmacutical Companies
June 1, 2007 - 13:20 ET by c5thenWhen a disease becomes drug resistant? Is CBS so left-wing now that they tink that all companies should be non-profits? These hatchet jobs are becoming comical.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic
Van Morrison
June 1, 2007 - 13:21 ET by Tony SWhat's worse is that Warner Bros. Records has used this occasion to crassly issue a deluxe CD package featuring Van Morrison's "T.B. Sheets," the song he penned about his ailing girlfriend. This is just totally inappropriate -- cashing in on a disease.
OK, I made that up. But the song is real (as is Van Morrison). And this place could use some laughs, even if no one here has probably ever heard that song and will not get my humor.
In related news, the T.B. Devil Rays
June 1, 2007 - 13:48 ET by Hero SquadIn related news, the T.B. Devil Rays have a wholly inappropriate promotion planned at to attract more baseball fans to their stadium this summer.
*****
"Was it a millionaire who said 'Imagine no possessions?'" - Elvis Costello
Why go after drug companies i
June 1, 2007 - 13:48 ET by nnptcgradWhy go after drug companies instead of the security inspectors who were supposed to stop him in the first place?!
Mother nature is a bitch - Ninth Corollary of Murphy's Law
I hate pharmaceutical compani
June 1, 2007 - 14:03 ET by general companyI hate pharmaceutical companies as much as the next person, but this is ridiculous. I have all the confidence in the world that we (Fed Gov) is funding some sort of research for TB.
BTW I am very familiar with Van Morrison
As long as privately owned
June 1, 2007 - 14:09 ET by sarcasmoAs long as privately owned companies are blamed for all problems, and nobody mentions the FDA which controls 'em, everything is ok, right? Still no sign of Dave Johnson & James Boyce on yet-another example of us being "silent" on obvious pro-big-government media bias...
JMR
This is similiar to the attit
June 1, 2007 - 18:23 ET by alamojbThis is similiar to the attitude toward automotive and energy companies. With the cars its "why have they not developed a car that gets x MPG". With the energy companies its "We could find something to replace fossil fuels." I just want to scream, "If you think its so easy, why don't you start a company and do it."
"...The Democrats love chaos. The Republicans love order and discipline and waiting your turn." Chris Matthews on "Gregory Live" as reported by Scott Whitlock 16MAY2007 blog "Matthews Rips..."<
You are exactly right. In wha
June 1, 2007 - 21:35 ET by BDavisYou are exactly right. In what way is a private company responsible for the health and well being of anyone? No one ever asks these critics how many life saving drugs they have developed. If you think a company should be forced to develop a drug because the "have lots of money", shouldn't every company and individual with money also be forced to spend it this way? I fail to see the logic that if a company develops one drug, they must develop all possible drugs, regardless of cost. It's thinking like this that drove American companies to stop making vaccines.
Time for me to go take my life saving pill developed by evil pharma.