
The Dark Side of the Pharmaceutical Industry
A look at the pharmaceutical industry’s influence and practices, and how patients and providers can support efforts to improve regulation.
The phrase “Big Pharma” evokes notions of a modern-day villain, referring to an industry that has perhaps become
High drug costs can sometimes be attributed to expensive and time-intensive research and development processes, but this was not the case with Turing Pharmaceuticals, as the HIV treatment had been sold at the lower price for more than 50 years prior.
In this piece, we will examine the industry’s influence and practices and explain how patients and providers—including
Pharma's Rise to Influence
Big Pharma’s roots date to the 19th century, when many of the larger pharmaceutical companies, including
The financial and political clout of pharmaceutical companies was intensified in 1958, when the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (
Today, newly developed drugs are still eligible for 20-year patents. While these are intended to help companies recoup the costs of research and development, there are loopholes. For example, drugmakers create "evergreen" products by making very slight changes to the medication in order to extend patent protections—with no benefit to the consumer. The industry also employees
Big Pharma's abuses have been widely documented. However, when it comes to eliminating unfair practices, little action has been taken. Likely reasons include not only the influence of lobbyists, but also revolving-door politics, free-market ideologies, and regulators' financial dependence on the pharmaceutical industry. Even the FDA has been accused of being too lax in its regulation practices. It's no wonder: the pharmaceutical industry pays the FDA
Not a Victimless Crime
Big Pharma’s sizeable profits come at the expense of consumers, particularly low-income populations. When generic drugs cannot be brought to market due to patent laws, it can
What Can Be Done?
Since Big Pharma has failed to make significant strides in self-regulation, the burden falls on the public to be vigilant. Consumers can and should look up their physicians on
Patients who believe their care provider is overprescribing, or a provider who suspects this of a colleague, can bring awareness by reporting the person in question. Many healthcare facilities have policies in place regarding the relationships between providers and sales representatives.
There are a number of legislative efforts underway to restrict Big Pharma, including the
Despite some advances, progress toward tighter regulation of the drug industry is slow. Until more is done, patients and healthcare providers must do their part by staying vigilant, proactive, and engaged with the lawmakers who are on the front lines of legislative policy.
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