The American Spectator

Doug Bandow’s article misses an important point. Namely, Pharma has no respect for Americans or America. If they valued American capitalism they would not practically give their patented drugs to the socialists in Canada or Europe. If they really cared about America, their stockholders or even intellectual property, they would have uniform prices worldwide that would fund their drug research and development and provide a handsome return for their investors.

There is a price for almost everything. If one price point is the death of America’s legacy Pharma companies, it may serve future generations better by depriving socialists of a free good and a cheap public right.

This article on another big government fiasco brings to mind an even more serious issue of government action or inaction that is causing untold pain and even death to our citizens. The unholy alliance between the trial lawyers (sure former Senator Edwards is and was just interested in helping people and just happened to get rich as an afterthought) and the FDA resulting in the decertification of certain almost miracle drugs and the failure or delay in certifying new needed drugs is causing unnecessary pain and death to thousands.

For example more and more infections especially staph infections are becoming more and more resistant to current broad spectrum antibiotics but the FDA is dragging its feet in approving many very promising new antibiotics. I speak from experience, when I had a knee replacement the first one was destroyed by a staph infection after two months. The doctors told me the only possible antibiotic to combat the staph was Vancomycin and there was a twenty percent chance it would not work and then the only option was to fuse the knee and be like Chester on Gunsmoke for the rest of my life.

Fortunately for me it worked but it is constantly on my mind that next time it may not. Every medicine has side effects and the risks must be explained to the patient and then he or she should be allowed to make the final decision with the advice of the doctor. The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that were withdrawn because of a small increase in heart attacks by users are a case in point. Many patients say that these drugs meant the difference between a normal active life and being a cripple but now they no longer have a choice.