Bitter Medicine: Pills, Profit and the Public Health
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ABC NEWS SPECIAL REPORT With Peter Jennings
Peter Jennings – …Dr. Drummond Rennie is an editor at The Journal of the American Medical Association. He says researchers who are critical get attacked all the time. Do you actually believe, Dr. Rennie, that drug companies are intent on keeping the consumer on drugs, which are not as good as older drugs, for the simple requirement of profit?
Dr. Drummond Rennie - Yes. Yes, very much so. Absolutely. ….They’ve got to be prevented.
Peter Jennings – … The top 10 drug companies combined made profits of more than $37 billion in the year 2001. And you, the taxpayer, are subsidizing research that benefits the drug industry.
…Nancy Chockley runs an institute funded by managed care organizations…
Nancy Chockley – What we found is that over the last 12 years, that there’s really been a shift in the type of new drugs being approved by the FDA. And that we found that most of the growth was really in drugs that did not show any significant clinical improvement.
Peter Jennings – Eighty percent of the drugs which the FDA approves are not significantly different from the ones on the market already, and only 20 percent of the drugs are significantly new. Do you think the public even knows that? …We’re spending more on prescription drugs than we did in 1995. And the majority of the drugs approved by the FDA are simply modifications of old drugs…Consumers spend $90 billion more on prescription drugs last year than was spent just six years ago. And are we $90 billion healthier? …But what critics call this ‘gaming of the system’ may have a much more damaging result.
Dr. Sharon Levine, Kaiser Permanente Medical Group – If I’m a manufacturer, and I can change one molecule and get another 20 years of patent life and convince physicians to prescribe and consumers to demand … then why would I be spending money on a lot less certain endeavor, which is looking for brand new drugs?
Peter Jennings – The pharmaceutical industry has more registered lobbyists than the number of senators and congressmen combined.
Dr. Jerry Avorn, Brigham and Women’s Hospital – I think there’s a sense that, for example, when the FDA approves a drug, everything that needs to be known about it is known. I think patients believe that. I think doctors sometimes believe that. And that is not true.
Peter Jennings – How do you explain the overwhelming success of these drugs in a very short period of time?
Dr. Sharon Levine – I think the only explanation is the amount of money, the amount of time and energy that was put into promoting these drugs to doctors and advertising these drugs to consumers.
Peter Jennings – You see television ads like this all the time, including many on ABC News programs. They are part of the drug industry’s $15 billion effort to get you to ask for particular drugs and to get doctors to prescribe those particular drugs. …The drug companies spend vast amounts of money – nearly $3 billion selling to consumers, $5 billion marketing to doctors, $8 billion worth of free samples. …Doesn’t it make sense for the drug companies to at least educate the doctors about the prescription drugs that are available?
Dr. Marcia Angell – Well, that’s not their business, education. Drug companies are not in the education business. Medical schools and teaching hospitals are. It’s like expecting beer companies to educate people about alcoholism. It is not what they do.
Dr. Matt Handley, Group Health Cooperative – It’s almost like a trade. You might not have the stomach problem, but the studies suggest you might, instead, be equally likely to have a more serious heart problem. …I would personally wait years for long-term safety from the FDA’s monitoring program before I’d consider taking them. If they were free, I would do that same thing.
Peter Jennings – What does this say about the social responsibility of the pharmaceutical industry? Or is the pharmaceutical industry supposed to have a social responsibility?
Dr. Sharon Levine – That’s a very good question that the American people need to answer, do we want to entrust critical elements of the public health to an industry whose purpose, whose mission is to earn return for shareholders?
Peter Jennings – Congress has never required the FDA to routinely compare new drugs with older drugs. This is costing consumers billions of dollars that we do not need to spend. And in some cases, it could be costing lives. …There is no law that says new drugs have to be proven 100 percent safe. … The government says they must be relatively safe, which means that every drug comes with risks. And the result of that is that sometimes new drugs turn out to be more dangerous than old drugs.
Dr. Jerry Avorn, Harvard Medical School – If patients were aware of the limitations that all of us physicians have in terms of what we know and what we wish we know and what we don’t know, they would be more scared than they are at present. …The saying that a lot of doctors use sometimes in jest is, ‘Always wait a year before prescribing a new drug. And if it’s for a family member, wait five years.’ And that’s an awful thing to say, but it reveals a perception that we really don’t know as much as we would like to know about a drug until it’s been around.
Peter Jennings – The fact is, drugs can be used for years before we really know how safe they are. …Dr. Drummond Rennie is an editor at The Journal of the American Medical Association. He says researchers who are critical get attacked all the time. Why do you think the industry is able to get away with what you have in the past called ‘bullying tactics?’
Dr. Drummond Rennie, Journal of the American Medical Association – Money. Because if the shareholders are happy, whom else do they have to answer for? These are multinationals. They have no masters.
Peter Jennings – Can we trust studies funded by companies that have a vested interest in the results? …Will the pharmaceutical industry do whatever it takes to get the results it wants from research?
Dr. Drummond Rennie – The temptation to spin those results is always there, and it’s frequently used. Frequently.
Peter Jennings – For nearly every drug on the market, doctors must wrestle with conFL icting and sometimes inaccurate information.
Dr. Drummond Rennie – If only the good news about a drug is published, and never the bad news, then a false impression is given of the quality, effectiveness of that drug. It may be entirely false.
Peter Jennings – Does the drug industry, on occasion or regularly, suppress data?
Dr. Drummond Rennie – Oh, we suspect, and rather know, that this happens all the time.
Peter Jennings – Does the drug industry ever suspend a trial – a drug trial – because it believes the results will be different than it wishes?
Dr. Drummond Rennie – Yes, that’s happened.
Peter Jennings – Does a drug company ever not publish the results of a trial because it doesn’t like the results?
Dr. Drummond Rennie – Yes.
Peter Jennings – Do you actually believe, Dr. Rennie, that drug companies are intent on keeping the consumer on drugs, which are not as good as older drugs, for the simple requirement of profit?
Dr. Drummond Rennie – Yes. Yes, very much so. Absolutely. … They’ve got to be prevented.
Peter Jennings – There is one last thing this evening which we believe is important for all of us. The questions about what we are getting for our money cannot and must not be answered only by the drug companies. Virtually everyone we talked to for this broadcast agrees on that. The rules by which this hugely profitable industry operates do not always serve consumers adequately. And nothing is going to happen, no matter how angry consumers get, unless the Congress and the president decide that the time is come. The country can do better. I’m Peter Jennings. Thank you for joining us. Good night.
Here this nice Video about public health
Epidemiologists play an important role in assessing the health effects of natural and man-made disasters and in identifying the factors that contribute to these effects. Join Wayne Enanoria Ph.D., from UC Berkeley’s Center for Infectious Disease Preparedness, in this three-part series as he discusses key topics in disaster epidemiology. In this second program, epidemiologic inference of surveillance data is discussed. The California Office of Binational Border Health (COBBH) has sponsored …
Find your answer for your own question related to public health
What is the difference between public health and community health?What is the difference between public health and community health?
A. Public health involves the health of the nation, and community health involves doctors and other health professionals in a community.
B. Public health protects the health of everyone, and community health protects the health of all those in a particular community.
C. Public health gives free health care to individuals, and community health keeps the food, water supply, and general environment healthy for the community.
D. Public health is concerned with the health of individuals, and community health is concerned with overall health statistics.
Tags: Boston, change, climate, environment, fast, food, health, HIV, medicine, Obesity, public, trash, University
May 31st, 2009 at 10:29 pm
A. Public health looks at everyone from all over. We (I'm an epidemiologist) are concerned with things that may be coming down the pike and hit all of us (like bird flu, etc.). Community health mostly involves doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals that tailor interventions to a particular community's needs, and they generally don't plan out for "the bigger picture", although they do a heck a job in their locales, since they know it better.
May 31st, 2009 at 11:15 pm
In Health Category .. you forgot about Health as a category?
June 1st, 2009 at 12:21 am
June 1st, 2009 at 4:57 am
Salmonella tomatoes…
and other bad fruits and veggies…
June 1st, 2009 at 7:39 am
UNC offers an excellent program…
i'm actually going for the same thing and i'm majoring in biology to get my bachelors
June 1st, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Public defenders are by order of the the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has ruled that prisoners get free health care, but haven't ruled the government must give universal health care to everyone.
June 1st, 2009 at 1:31 pm
University of Toronto,Public Health Science check out the link below for information
http://www.phs.utoronto.ca/prog_biostat_phd.asp
June 1st, 2009 at 3:24 pm
You could do it, but it might put you at a disadvantage compared to other optometry students. We have a couple of people in our class who did not major in biology, so they are struggling a lot in some of our courses. The point of a degree in biology is to prepare you for optometry school.
June 1st, 2009 at 3:54 pm
There's currently a controversy over whether or not those popular Nalgene bottles are safe, since independent research has revealed the possibility that their polyurethane plastic material might leech an estrogen-like chemincal that could interfere with one's hormone balance and thus affect one's health.
June 1st, 2009 at 6:53 pm
You will need to become a registered nurse first (RN). If you want to work in public health for a governmental agency you will need a bachelors in nursing (BSN). Most universities offer an accelerated program for students who have a bachelor's in another field. You may also want to consider becoming an advanced practice nurse which requires a Masters (MSN). The university I attend has a dual major in public health and nursing you may want to look at to give you some ideas.
Here is a link to the page at the Univ. of South Florida in Tampa
http://health.usf.edu/nocms/nursing/Programs_of_Study/mshealth.html
Hope this helps – Michael
June 2nd, 2009 at 4:54 am
its WHO that manages international public health. pl apply http://www.who.int/en/
June 2nd, 2009 at 8:05 am
Public health policies are determined by gov't regulations. In the end, by elected officials.
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:21 pm
the most recent one i think of was the samonela poisoning involving jalapenos.
June 2nd, 2009 at 12:32 pm
You can also try volunteering at any state run facility for the mentally handicapped. There you will find mental,physical, and aggressive behavior patients all at one facility. You will probably have to go through a 2 week safety training session for both the safety of yourself and the people there. You might also try to volunteer at a place for women that have been in a physically abusive relationship. I would imagine you might have to go though the state or county for that because of the safety issues. Good luck and God Bless. This is a very hard career to work in. I actually did most of my nursing in a state facility. People like yourself are desperately needed and I'm sure you'll find that there are so many rewards that you'll be glad you did. It's a very hard job, but your will be gratified in the care of the people that you come in contact with.
June 2nd, 2009 at 1:45 pm
If you were a Forensic Anthropologist/ Biological Anthropologist you would travel. A Forensic Anthropologist looks at skelatinized remains to determine age, sex, stature, and ancestry. Many Fors. Anth. are consulted for each job and don't have a permanant job. They also help out in cases of mass disasters all over the world (like 9/11, tsunami's, plane crashes, etc.).
June 2nd, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Check with your local and state health offices. My aunt worked with a dentist in New York for 10 years providing service to inmates at a local prison. When he left for private practice- he took her with him at a much higher salary and shorter hours. She still volunteers at the school to offer proper dental care instructions for the students.
Understandably, you might not be looking on the same level, but if there is a need for public health professionals that are experienced in the dental area, they should be able to help you identify and find those positions.
Good Luck.
June 2nd, 2009 at 11:23 pm
i think you should get an internship and appy to get your masters in public health. If not, then lots of volunteering and building a network can help u get in.
June 3rd, 2009 at 12:54 am
The degree you have really doesn't matter too much. whats important is finishing the prereqs which are gen chem1 and 2, organic chem 1 and 2, anatomy and phys. microbiology, calculus, physics 1 and 2 and a few others. It also help to take some upper level chem and bio classes like biochem and histology. You need good grades and also need to score well on the MCAT.
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:49 am
-Work for goverment
-Work for a non-profit
-Work for a hospital
-Work for a health insurance company
-Work as a consultant
Depending on what you did, you could make a lot of money or relatively little.
A double major/minor depends on what you're interested in.
Goverment- poli sci, psychology, sociology
Non-profit- non-profit management, psychology, sociology
Hospital- business, statistics, accounting, psychology, sociology
Health insurance company- business, statistics, accounting
June 3rd, 2009 at 5:15 pm
You may find some useful information here: http://www.allofillinois.com/Category/Health/
I hope this helps in some way, best wishes to you.
June 3rd, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Health Care Managers/Administrators
Health Education/Behavioral Science
Epidemiologists
Environmental Health
Biostatisticians
Public Health Practitioners
International Health Specialists
Nutritionists
Biomedical Scientists
To name a few.
June 3rd, 2009 at 8:42 pm
I'd suggest Imperial College:
http://www1.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/about/divisions/ephpc/postgrad/taughtcourses/mph2/
or the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine:
http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/prospectus/masters/
The primary accrediting organisation would be the Royal Institute of Public Health: http://www.riph.org.uk/index5.html
June 3rd, 2009 at 11:07 pm
The first question is if you are graduating from a BSN RN program. The US Public Health Service requires a BSN for all RNs who are hired into the job position as a Public/Community Health Nurse.
Most BSN programs I have worked with in the past, have had, at least short rotations, to introduce the students to the roles of the Public Health Nurse. Many decades ago, when I was an undergraduate student, I spent almost 6 months working with the Public Health Nurses, on various elective rotations, such as the Public Health STD Clinic, the WIC Clinic, and many other areas, including the Public Health Motor Home which took the clinic to neighborhoods for screenings and infant/child immunizations.
Contact your local US Public Health Service Office.
June 3rd, 2009 at 11:09 pm
No it just means that the World Health Org thinks that a pandemic is imminent. It happens when it has spread from person to person in two or more countries.
In the 2009 revision of the phase descriptions, WHO has retained the use of a six-phased approach for easy incorporation of new recommendations and approaches into existing national preparedness and response plans. The grouping and description of pandemic phases have been revised to make them easier to understand, more precise, and based upon observable phenomena. Phases 1–3 correlate with preparedness, including capacity development and response planning activities, while Phases 4–6 clearly signal the need for response and mitigation efforts. Furthermore, periods after the first pandemic wave are elaborated to facilitate post pandemic recovery activities.
June 4th, 2009 at 12:17 am
There is no such web site. There *might* be a list of such initiatives compiled by the government, an NGO or a UN agencies of these initiatives but not available on the web. How do health officials know if their initiatives aren't duplicating the work of others? Often, they don't. Various NGOs, UN agencies and government officials do try to network with one another, informally, to know who is doing what.
Using the web, look for the contact information for some health initiatives, and write them directly to ask if they have such a list. You will need to say why you want such a list, how you intend to use it, etc.
June 4th, 2009 at 1:05 am
I work in public health as an epidemiologist. The big areas of growth I can see are in chronic disease research. Cancer and HIV are "glamorous" fields to be in right now. Diabetes is an emerging problem that relates to that bigger problem of obesity, which threatens to sink the entire post-industrial public health system. The burden of these diseases on our population is HUGE. They take millions of people out of our workforces, economies and POPULATIONS (i.e., they die) annually. Care for chronic illnesses is expensive, so a lot of research is being done to find cheaper, more efficient ways to handle them.
Another big trend (that is kinda starting to ebb) is in disatster preparedness and bioterrorism. Gotta keep people safe from mailable anthrax and air-dispersed smallpox. In the wake of 9/11, a lot of $$$ were thrown towards all grants bioterror-related. It's a sign of the times we live in.
Ideally, I'd like to see the future of public health point towards PREVENTIVE medicine. Preventing diseases will drastically reduce the burden of cost because fewer people will need things like expensive maintenance drugs, machinery to keep them alive or long-term care.
June 4th, 2009 at 3:33 am
How do you mean? If we provide immunizations for all, everyone benefits. Same thing with public sanitation & sewage. I think we have a pretty clean line between public health and eugenics today.
I realize that eugenics were used in the past to condone the sterilization of the mentally retarded, african americans, etc. in the name of public health.
We could still face similar problems in the future. Ex. the mandatory sterilization of crack-whore mothers; socialized medicine; etc.