American Addict Page #6

DOCTORS WHO ARE ACTIVE IN THE

UNITED STATES.

SO THAT IS AN AWFUL LOT OF

MEETINGS.

THE BRANCH OF THE FDA THA REGULATES MARKETING MATERIALS

HAD A BUDGET IN 2008 OF

$9 MILLION. APPROXIMATELY, AND

THAT COMPARES WITH THE MARKETING

BUDGET OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL

INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES

IS. DEPENDING ON HOW YOU

CALCULATE IT. ON THE ORDER OF

$30 BILLION TO $60 BILLION

PER YEAR.

AND THE STAKES ARE SO HIGH

AND THE GROSS PROFITS ARE SO

GREAT BECAUSE AMERICAN PRICES

ARE. BY FAR THE HIGHEST IN THE

INDUSTRIALIZED WORLD.

SO THIS IS BIG. BIG BUSINESS,

AND THEY JUST PUT OUT A LOT OF

ADVERTISING. AND INCREASINGLY SO

ON THE WEB. AND THEY HAVE, YOU

KNOW. WEB BANNERS AND SPONSORED

LINKS.

SO THE PUBLIC DOESN'T KNOW

THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY

SUBSIDIZING 39% OF ALL THE R&D

THAT COMPANIES DO THROUGH

TAX DEDUCTIONS AND TAX CREDITS

AND TAX SUBSIDIES.

IT'S OUR OWN TAXES AND OUR

OWN RETIREMENT SAVINGS WHICH ARE

FINANCING A SYSTEM WHICH IS

LITERALLY LETHAL TO OUR HEALTH.

NOT TO MENTION ANOTHER MAJOR

SOURCE. WHICH NO ONE'S TRIED

CALCULATING. WHICH IS THE

BILLIONS OF DOLLARS THA COMPANIES ACCUMULATE OVERSEAS IN

TAX HAVENS TO AVOID PAYING

U.S. TAX.

THESE ARE COMPANIES THA CONSIDER THEMSELVES VERY

PATRIOTIC.

THEY EVADE AMERICAN TAXES BY

HARBORING BILLIONS OF PROFITS

ABROAD. AND THEN EVERY FIVE OR

SIX YEARS. THE BUSINESS HAS

GOTTEN SO LARGE IN THESE TAX

HAVENS THAT THE CONGRESS GIVES

THEM A TAX HOLIDAY.

I ONCE HELPED A REPORTER

WRITE A WONDERFUL STORY ABOU NOVARTIS. WHO IS THE MAKER OF

RITALIN. AND LITERALLY HOW MUCH

MONEY THEIR STOCK WOULD GO UP

FOR EVERY CHILD THEY GOT ON

RITALIN.

I AM RICH:

BEYOND BELIEF:

FOR THIS LOVE:

YOU HAVE GIVEN ME

THERE WAS AN IDEA THAT THE

NEW NEUROTRANSMITTER HAD BEEN

FOUND CALLED SEROTONIN.

SO ELI LILLY IMMEDIATELY WENT TO

STUDY RATS TO FIND A PILL THA WOULD DO SOMETHING. CHANGE,

THAT IS. CAUSE A DEFECT IN THE

NEUROTRANSMITTER SYSTEM

SO THAT IT COULD BE CLAIMED TO

FIX IT.

AND THEY CAME UP WITH PROZAC.

WHICH BLOCKS THE EFFECTIVE

FUNCTIONING OF THE SYSTEM BY

STOPPING THE REMOVAL OF

SEROTONIN FROM ITS ACTIVE PLACE

IN THE BRAIN AND FLOODING THE

BRAIN WITH IT.

THEY FOUND QUICKLY THAT PROZAC

CAUSED SO MUCH AGITATION IN

PATIENTS THAT THEY HAD TO GIVE

THE PATIENTS TRANQUILIZERS. OR

THEY'D DROP OUT OF THE STUDIES.

WELL. WHEN IT CAME DOWN TO

APPROVING THE DRUG. THEY

COULDN'T FIND A BENEFICIAL

EFFECT UNLESS THEY INCLUDED THE

TRANQUILIZED PATIENTS.

SO THE FDA FORGAVE ELI LILLY

FOR CHEATING AND APPROVED

ELI LILLY'S DRUG PROZAC WHEN

THEY REALLY WERE APPROVING--

THEY DIDN'T TELL ANYBODY THIS--

REALLY APPROVING PROZAC WITH ITS

AGITATION COVERED OVER BY

ADDICTIVE TRANQUILIZING DRUGS.

SO. AS THE MEDICAL EXPERT,

WE FINALLY HAD OUR FIRST TRIAL.

NOW. I WONDERED WHY--WHY WOULD

THIS BE THE FIRST TRIAL THAT WE

WOULD BRING OUT OF THE 150.

BECAUSE IT WAS A VERY DIFFICUL CASE.

THIS MAN. JOSEPH WESBECKER, HAD

BEEN PARANOID AND HATEFUL

AND THREATENING TOWARD PEOPLE A WORK BEFORE HE WAS PUT ON

PROZAC.

THAT'S NOT THE BEST CASE.

BUT WHEN HE WAS PUT ON PROZAC.

WITHIN DAYS. HE GOT PSYCHOTIC,

AND HE KILLED A DOZEN PEOPLE AND

INJURED 20 AT HIS PLACE OF WORK.

SO I WAS GONNA TESTIFY THAT I WASN'T THAT PROZAC JUST CAUSED

THIS. BUT PROZAC TIPPED HIM

OVER.

WELL. I GET READY TO HAVE THE

TRIAL. AND MY--THE LAWYER ON OUR

SIDE ISN'T PREPARING ME.

HE'S NOT SENDING ME ANYMORE

MATERIALS.

I ARRIVE IN LOUISVILLE. AND THE

LAWYER FOR OUR SIDE. WHO'S SUING

LILLY. IS HIDING DOCUMENTS

FROM ME.

I WAS THROWN ON THE STAND WITH

NO PREPARATION.

I GAVE THE LAWYER 20 OR 30

NOTE CARDS BEFORE I WENT ON THE

STAND AND SAID. "YOU'VE GOT TO

ASK ME THESE QUESTIONS."

HE GOT MAD AT ME.

WELL. IT WAS VERY HARD TO

TESTIFY UNDER THOSE CONDITIONS.

AS IT WAS. LILLY ALMOST LOS THE CASE.

IT WAS A 9-3 VOTE. WHICH ALLOWED

THEM TO WIN.

ONE MORE VOTE AGAINST THEM. AND

THEY WOULD HAVE LOST.

BIG HEADLINES:
"LILLY WINS ITS

CASE."

AND ALL THE OTHER LAWYERS

STARTED TO SETTLE FROM THE 150

OR MORE OTHER CASES.

WELL. THE JUDGE FIGURED OUT THA THIS TRIAL HAD BEEN FIXED.

HE CALLED TOGETHER ELI LILLY AND

MR. SMITH. WHO WAS THE LAWYER

FOR THE PLAINTIFFS. AND SAID

THAT. "WHAT DID YOU GUYS DO?"

AND THEY SAID. "IT'S NONE OF

YOUR BUSINESS."

SO NOW THE JUDGE IS UP AGAINS BOTH PARTIES ON THE TRIAL.

SO THE JUDGE INVESTIGATES.

AND HE FINDS OUT THAT OUR SIDE

WAS INDEED PAID OFF IN ORDER TO

PRESENT A WEAK CASE SO LILLY

COULD WIN.

AND OUR SIDE TRIED TO DISCREDI ME IN COURT. MY OWN SIDE TRIED

TO DISCREDIT ME IN COURT.

BECAUSE LILLY NEEDED TO WIN THE

CASE. AND THEY NEEDED TO

DISCREDIT PETER BREGGIN.

BECAUSE I WAS THEIR ONLY REAL

OPPOSITION IN THE WORLD.

I NEED A BAILOU JUST LIKE CITIGROUP

I NEED A BAILOU DON'T FORGET AIG

GOLDMAN SACHS:

I NEED A BAILOU WHAT ABOUT THE BIG THREE?

I NEED A BAILOU IT ALL ENDS WITH JUST ME

I NEED A BAILOU JUST LIKE CITIGROUP

I NEED A BAILOU DON'T FORGET AIG

GOLDMAN SACHS:

I NEED A BAILOU BAILOUT. BAILOUT, BAILOU BAILOUT. BAILOU SOME DOCTORS. INCLUDING

MYSELF. GET FRUSTRATED WITH THE

FDA SOMETIMES. BECAUSE THERE ARE

MEDICATIONS THAT WORK WELL IN

EUROPE AND OTHER COUNTRIES THA HAVE BEEN OUT FOR YEARS. BUT I TAKES ANOTHER 10. 12 YEARS TO

GET APPROVED IN THIS COUNTRY.

SO IN MANY WAYS. THEY'RE VERY

CAREFUL. AND THE PROCESS IS VERY

SLOW.

BUT IN OTHER SITUATIONS.

CERTAIN DRUGS ARE FAST TRACKED.

SO WHEN YOU--WHEN YOU LOOK A SITUATIONS LIKE FEN-PHEN.

A DRUG THAT WAS REALLY POPULAR

IN THE '90s FOR WEIGHT LOSS.

PEOPLE--A LOT OF PEOPLE DIED

FROM THAT DRUG.

A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE STILL ALIVE

NOW THAT ARE HAVING LONG-TERM

HEART PROBLEMS FROM THAT--

FROM THAT DRUG COMBINATION.

THEY KNEW BEFORE THAT DRUG WAS

RELEASED THAT THERE WAS

A PROBLEM.

PEOPLE IN THAT PARTICULAR

COMPANY KNEW.

INFORMATION WAS SUPPRESSED.

BECAUSE WHEN YOU GO THROUGH R&D.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

TO GET A DRUG BROUGHT TO MARKET.

IT COULD TAKE SEVERAL YEARS.

TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ARE

SPENT DOING THIS PROCESS.

SO WHEN THAT DRUG GETS READY TO

BE RELEASED BY THE FDA.

IT IS A BIG DEAL IF IT DOES NO GET RELEASED. BECAUSE THEY'VE

ALREADY SPENT A LOT OF MONEY.

AND REMEMBER. PHARMACEUTICAL

COMPANIES ARE FOR PROFIT.

THEY'RE NOT NON-PROFIT. GOOD,

YOU KNOW. TOUCHY-FEELY

CORPORATIONS.

THEY ARE TRYING TO MAKE MONEY.

I REMEMBER I TOLD MY SON.

"DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'RE

DOING TO YOURSELF?"

"MOM. YOU KNOW, I--THESE--

THEY GOT 'EM FROM A DOCTOR.

A DOCTOR'S NOT GONNA GIVE YOU

ANYTHING BAD."

SO I DON'T KNOW IF THEY HAVE I IN THEIR HEAD OF. "OKAY, WELL,

I'M NOT BUYING IT ON THE STREET.

I'M NOT BUYING IT FROM THE DRUG

DEALER ON THE CORNER.

I'M NOT BUYING IT FROM--

YOU KNOW. IN AN ALLEY SOMEWHERE.

I'M GOING INTO A DOCTOR'S

OFFICE. AND I'M BUYING

MEDICATION.

AND IT'S FINE.

WHY WOULD HE GIVE ME SOMETHING

THAT'S GONNA HURT ME?"

THE FOOD AND DRUG

ADMINISTRATION BECAME

RESPONSIBLE FOR CERTIFYING DRUGS

AS BEING SAFE AND THEN.

EVENTUALLY. FOR BEING SAFE

AND EFFECTIVE. WHICH MEANS

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