Lanie Melamed

Media coverage about pharmaceutical companies and their drive for increasing profits has been part of many recent radio and TV programs, such as Bill Moyers' Now on PBS and CBC's Marketplace, Disclosure and Ideas. Manufacturing Patients was the title given to a two-part series on Ideas in early February. The series described how several normal human conditions have been reframed into 'diseases' thereby requiring medication and repeated diagnostic attention. Not incidentally, the drugs are always patented (as contrasted with generic) and costly.

Of the approximately 1,400 new drugs introduced in the past 25 years, only 1% of research money has been spent on tropical illnesses. It is mainly the 'diseases' of the rich and affluent for which new drugs are being developed, bypassing those of the poor such as malaria, tuberculosis, and sleeping sickness. The goal clearly seems to be to increase profits rather than to solve the needs of most of humanity.

Hysteria, homosexuality, hypertension, addiction, sexual malfunction, osteoporosis, menopause and diabetes were some of the 'diseases' mentioned. The drug companies would have us take a pill, follow it with a test, watch for results, swallow another pill and submit to another test, ad infinitum. Attention to an individual's health and social history, exposure to carcinogens, pollution and other stresses are rarely taken into account. The method is reductionist — a simple pill will solve your problems. Extensive follow-up research is rarely pursued.

Drug advertisements encourage patients, no longer persons, to consult their doctors for advice, professionals who are already on overload at the same time as they are being pressured by the drug companies to sell products.

Added to this, drug companies are encouraging healthy people to take drugs in order to stay healthy. Readers of this publication are well aware of the strategies used by the makers of tamoxifen and hormone replacement therapy. Twenty years ago, the CEO of Merck and Co. said he wanted his company to create drugs for healthy people. A marketable bonanza! Rather than waiting for people to get sick in order to sell their products, the companies would be assured profits over an individual's entire life span.

Publicity recommending many of these new (and hastily brought-to-market) drugs rarely lists the true side effects, often unknown and harmful -- in some cases fatal. Sadly, cash-strapped Health Canada currently seems to be working in partnership with the pharmaceutical industry and can no longer be relied upon to protect consumers from inaccurate and unfair advertising. Nor can it use its influence to redirect drug research where it's most needed worldwide. Once again it is up to the consumer to stay informed about the dangers as well as the wonders of newly-advertised drugs. And once again, the precautionary principle must be acted upon — better safe than sorry!

The CBC Ideas Program was aired on February 4th and 11th. A full transcript of the program is available by going to the CBC website.