“Did you know that we actually subsidize US drug companies? “No,” you say, “they compete in the free enterprise system like everyone else.” Wrong! Every senior knows that we pay more for pharmaceuticals than any other nation in the world. We pay two to three times what even the Canadians pay. Example: a drug is sold in the US for $100 per pill, but the same pill is sold in Canada by the same company for only $30. Why does this happen? The US government won’t allow importation of drugs on a mass level. A lot of these drugs are the very same ones that US companies sell overseas!
Why does congress stand in the way of less expensive drugs? The drug companies tell congress that this is necessary to stimulate innovation and assure the safety of our drug supply. Maybe this was true in the past, but not today.
Today, US drug companies are manufacturing their drugs in China and India, where FDA admits it is woefully understaffed to adequately monitor quality control. That’s why we have had deaths from counterfeit heparin, sold by US firm Baxter International, as well as numerous other problems with counterfeit antibiotics, Lipitor, and more, while drug company profits have soared.
But we need new “block-buster” drugs to save us, don’t we? Some “yes,” some “no.” New drugs can mean really big money and drug companies put pressure on the FDA to approve them. If a drug company convinces the FDA that a drug is useful even with dangerous side effects, the FDA can put the drug on the market with a warning label. What’s the problem with that? Many people don’t understand that those warnings can mean real danger. That’s Celebrex has been treated. We now hear that Tylenol isn’t as safe as we thought.
Well, heck! We’re a rich country and we can afford to pay three times as much for drugs, right? (If that statement doesn’t shock you, then please reread it!) Even if you overlook the seniors who have to choose between medicine and groceries, we can no longer afford to subsidize the drug companies. It’s time to take to make the drug companies really participate in the free enterprise system. No more hidden subsidies in the form of sham safety measures.
i use a combo of shea butter and aloe vera moisturizer. Works great. I use shea butter on my lips, around my eyes and nose (dry areas), My father swears by vasoline.
p.s. I dropped your name on Gina's post, Barb. ;)
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