The War on Pharmaceutical Companies

Large pharmaceutical industries are making large profits on medications. Having such a high cost for medication prevents patients from receiving the care that they need. These companies are overcharging for medications that are essential to maintaining the health of patients. This may result in patients resorting to desperate measure such as stealing, crime, and other illegal acts. The pharmaceutical industry may require a different set of moral standard because in a way these laws are preventing patients from a quality life.

Price discrimination works in the drug industry because drugs are very expensive to develop, but inexpensive to manufacture. American consumers are exhauste... ... middle of paper ... ...rm debate. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America have lobbied against legislation to allow drugs from other nations into the United States. Prescription prices in America have increased beyond affordability and are hindering the health of the nation. Americans are forced to bear the burden of research costs and are being turned into deviants and white-collar criminals.

BACKROUND The pharmaceutical industry's claim that high and increasing drug prices are needed to sustain research and development is a lie to the American public. Drug companies are spending more than twice as much on marketing, advertising, and administration than they do on research and development; that drug company profits, which are higher than all other industries, exceed research and development expenditures; and that drug companies provide lavish compensation packages for their top executives. Recent prices rose more than twice the rate of inflation last year and among the top nine pharmaceutical companies (Merck, Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Pharmacia, Abbott Laboratories, American Home Products, Eli Lilly, Schering-Plough, and Allergan), all but one (Eli Lilly) spent more than twice as much on marketing, advertising, and administration than they did on research and development, and Lilly spent more than one and one-half times as much. Six out of the nine companies made more money in net profits than they spent on research and development last year. The executive with the highest compensation package in the year 2004, exclusive of unexercised stock options, was William C. Steere, Jr., Pfizer's Chairman, who made $40.2 million.

While rich people can easily travel foreign country for the best medication, poor people have to be treated under the po... ... middle of paper ... ... by the governments, not only the countries’ medical technology and economic conditions but also the countries’ communication developments and impression are affected badly. People cannot live as they deserve. For these reasons, in these days that the technology is becoming more important and popular, the view of the fact that the governments should control the technology is incorrect. REFERENCES Hopkins, N. (2011, November 1). Government must not censor internet, says William Hague.

It affects everyone involved with medicine, which is much of the American public. It also affects the physicians and drug makers. Government factors into the equation of the argument. Critics of the drug industry say that there is not enough regulation, while supporters of the pharmaceutical companies argue that there is too much regulation and that that is one... ... middle of paper ... ... near future. They key to this is that people forget about how much money they make and to simply just work for the betterment of mankind.

They are nearly impossible to afford for those without insurance, or with insurance that doesn’t cover prescription drugs. Studies performed by the Kaiser Family Foundation show that, “private employer-sponsored health-insurance premiums rose 13.9% this year, the most since 1989”, a trend that is expected to continue for many years to come (Coy). The rising costs of health insurance along with the already high prices of prescription drugs make pharmaceuticals difficult for many Americans to afford. Drug companies justify high prices by saying how expensive the research and development of a new drug is. For once, this is a truthful statement by these companies.

The way the Affordable Care Act is written at the moment will not only hurt the patient, by making them wait even longer for care and forcing them to buy health care, but it will also hurt the economy by making the nation dependent on the government and their services. The United States has been going through an economic crisis for a while now and it is evident that health care reform is one of the top issues that this country is currently facing. “The unsustainability of Medicare. The number of uninsured. The rising costs.

That’s not okay! To begin with, drug companies are not helping people by providing a series of choices people can choose to get better health care services. One reason pricing goes up is because of fraud. People gaming the system or committing fraud are making the prices increase on a lot of known medications. People who game the system apply false prices on drugs which leads to the government paying companies.

He made Social Security and Medicare a number one priority during his presidency, unaware years down the line funding would become scarce and so many doctors and pharmaceutical companies would try to squeeze the life out of it. Through the years doctors’ and pharmaceutical companies have become greedy. Doctors diagnose patients, prescribe medications, and send them to pharmaceutical companies that charge high prices for medications that help maintain their well-being. Although over half of our elderly individuals with Social Security and Medicare benefits are already struggling to accommodate their daily living. Therefore a reform of both Social Security and Medicare needs to take place before it is too late.

Sometimes, drug companies have even resorted to testing on individual without their approval. The pharmaceutical industry spends money to make money, but the majority of people who are sick tend to reside in third world countries that cannot afford to pay the premiums that the drug companies charge. Sometimes, this can result in drug companies not pursuing a drug that could save millions of lives just because they wouldn't be able to make a profit. Immanuel Kant believed that humans should not be treated merely as a means to an end. If humans are treated this way they are being utilized merely as objects, which deprive them of their humanity.