Author Jonathan Safran Foer said in his 2009 book, Eating Animals, “It 's always possible to wake someone from sleep, but no amount of noise will wake someone who is pretending to be asleep” (53). He verbalizes what most are afraid to consider; the American medical programs are problematic, and the profiteers and distributors of drugs feign ignorance over the corruption of the industry. Unfortunately, these issues are deeply rooted in the history and practices of doctors and pharmaceutical companies. The United States healthcare system needs to be reformed because not only do the underinsured receive secondary treatment due to the Food and Drug Administration standards, but doctors pocket “gifts” from prescription drug companies and those with
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However, in this money reduction phenomenon is where the problem lies. Essentially, the entire pharmaceutical industry is motivated by greed and monetary values over the act of helping people with illnesses. According to the 2013 National Health Interview Survey, 8% of U.S citizens did not take their prescriptions in an attempt to save money (Report: Patients Forgo). Pharmaceutical companies are typically granted patents on their drugs for up to twenty years, during which they can be “exploited commercially” (Harvey 16+). After that, more affordable generic brands can be put on the market. Most people cannot afford the price of brand drugs, and in those cases the generic brands become a necessity. “…due to high prices set by pharmaceutical companies, few can afford the medicines they need (Harvey 16+).” This is where the largest problem is; this is where the most people suffer. Pharmaceutical companies often will, after the end of the initial twenty years, change a small aspect of the drug and remarket it under a new patent. Then the advertisements of this new drug are used to prevent doctors from prescribing the generic brand to patients (Appleby). Pharmaceutical companies argue that high prices for drugs are a necessity, due to research and development prices; that is the furthest from the truth as the public pays for 80 percent of those costs. Donald Light, professor of comparative healthcare at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey says, “Pharmaceutical companies insist on such high prices for drugs because they have to subsidize the initial risks and clinical trials, which they report costs between $1.3 and $1.7 billion per new drugs, but no study has ever been published to support this claim.” Instead, he presents an analysis that indicates the actual cost of research and development
However, in this money reduction phenomenon is where the problem lies. Essentially, the entire pharmaceutical industry is motivated by greed and monetary values over the act of helping people with illnesses. According to the 2013 National Health Interview Survey, 8% of U.S citizens did not take their prescriptions in an attempt to save money (Report: Patients Forgo). Pharmaceutical companies are typically granted patents on their drugs for up to twenty years, during which they can be “exploited commercially” (Harvey 16+). After that, more affordable generic brands can be put on the market. Most people cannot afford the price of brand drugs, and in those cases the generic brands become a necessity. “…due to high prices set by pharmaceutical companies, few can afford the medicines they need (Harvey 16+).” This is where the largest problem is; this is where the most people suffer. Pharmaceutical companies often will, after the end of the initial twenty years, change a small aspect of the drug and remarket it under a new patent. Then the advertisements of this new drug are used to prevent doctors from prescribing the generic brand to patients (Appleby). Pharmaceutical companies argue that high prices for drugs are a necessity, due to research and development prices; that is the furthest from the truth as the public pays for 80 percent of those costs. Donald Light, professor of comparative healthcare at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey says, “Pharmaceutical companies insist on such high prices for drugs because they have to subsidize the initial risks and clinical trials, which they report costs between $1.3 and $1.7 billion per new drugs, but no study has ever been published to support this claim.” Instead, he presents an analysis that indicates the actual cost of research and development