It is almost unspeakable what the drug industry has become: one huge profit driven monster!  If you think this statement is radical consider what has taken place in the past decade alone with drug companies.  On at least three occasions, drug companies have IGNORED AND DELIBERATELY SHELVED DATA which showed their miracle drugs had significant safety risks and never should have received FDA approval.  WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!

The latest drug company to put a drug on the market knowing it raised the risks of heart attack and stroke is GalaxoSmithKline; the drug? AVANDIA.   This medication is used to treat Type 2 Diabetics by increasing the cells response to insulin.   In as early as 2000 internal emails in the company demonstrated studies which showed an increased risk for cardiovascular events… but should never be discussed with the public or FDA!   That is so upsetting and criminal!  Researches suspect that there have been 100,000 preventable deaths as a result of this medication.  The senate is know moving to have it removed from US Pharmacopeia.

And, as doctors, wonder why patients are so non-compliant with the medications we prescribe?   They simple don’t trust the drug companies… and the challenge for doctors is that we can no longer trust the FDA or drug companies.

Merck did the same thing with the drug Vioxx (hid data) and had to settle lawsuits for 100′s of millions of dollars.

I want to be very clear when I say that if THESE EXECUTIVES that did in fact knowing hide data that showed their drug posed a risk of life to patients…. that they deserve to be charged criminally.  They should not be able to get away with dishing out cash to settle lawsuits.   Until we hammer them they will continue to act criminally.