Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller for March 24, 2010

Yet, it will have a very high price tag.

Just like the shoe companies.

Well that’s good! Wouldn’t want too many people running around healthy.

Listening to some of the side effects on drug commercials would be enough to keep me from asking my doctor if “_” is right for me.

GJ-J: Notice they start “speed speak” when reading the side effects?

My philosophy is, if a doctor said to me, “I’m going to give you a prescription for blahbiddyblah,” I’d say, “That’s nice. I don’t have to fill it.” But first, I’d have to go to a doctor.

Restless Leg Syndrom, prehaps?

AH, all my worries are over!

White coat syndrome. Fear of doctors causing a rise in blood pressure and heart rate.

Could those be stock certificates framed on his wall? Perhaps stocks in Pharma Companies?

A few years ago while visiting my Dr I noted that his name was inscribed in italics with red ink. I asked him if they will be doing it in black once his student loans are paid. Fortunately he has a sense of haha.

Placebo prescriptions anyone?

Sounds to me that he’s got a LOT to worry about.

They are required to list the side effects, which is a good thing; but in their defense some people will describe bad side effects if you give them a glass of water, or a placebo. But, you can’t just ignore them, of course.

All the commercials on meds… Wiley did a really good take ;-) Wish I could find a doctor here who 1) speaks English as primary language 2) takes new Medicare patients 3) doesn’t believe all the BS the drug companies put out. I don’t want to take any of that (stuff).

A SHORT HISTORY OF MEDICINE: “Doctor, I have an ear ache.” 2000 B.C. - “Here, eat this root.” 1000 B.C. - “That root is heathen, say this prayer.” 1850 A.D. - “That prayer is superstition, drink this potion.” 1940 A.D. - “That potion is snake oil, swallow this pill.” 1985 A.D. - “That pill is ineffective, take this antibiotic.” 2000 A.D. - “That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root!”

(I received this as a forwarded mail - don’t know the source)

When I was working in Big Pharm, a med that had several million bucks spent on it in development was rejected by the FDA because it caused a mild stomach upset in a few patients.

There were indications that this new med had a tendency to heal arthritic joints.

ADHD, restless leg. Uromysitisis

I did a lot of pharmaceutical research in my younger days…..

You spend a few mil on a new drug and its rejected. You spend a few mil on a new drug and its rejected you spend a few mil on a new drug and it works. Everyone calls your company a crook for recovering costs You invent Viagra, everyone hails your company.

New drug costs too much? Don’t buy it. Your grandfather lived (or not) without it.

My rare (?) disease requires months on a Caribbean beach I can’t afford it.

Good answer, Lewreader. So many complaints about the drug companies, but who buys their drugs? If the consumer - that’s you and me - didn’t complain about our aches and pains, and demand a magic bullet solution, the pharmaceutical companies would have no incentive to develop and produce. Taking 2 aspirin; I’ll call you in the morning.

Forward this to the Computer Virus in the White House..

When the doctor gives the patient the Rx for something the patient has, please do NOT overdose the Rx pills; otherwise, the patient will be BYE-BYE!

Har har har! Good one, Wiley.

I take half a Viagra a day. Now I don’t pee on my shoes any more.

Ha Ha good one EarlWash!

Wiley, again thank you for another “truth.” Great detail, your art is so fine.

How does the national medical plan work. Take care of the patient or determine their age first to see if they “deserve’ the care. Unless you are a federal employee, of course.

Federal Employees including Congress have their choice of several insurance plans for which they pay approximately one half. The government pays the remainder. Most of these do not include eye glass or dental coverage. Mine costs about $400 a month. (my portion)

The pharmaceuticals I see advertised have one benefit to help you and enough side effects to kill you.

Trebor39:

But only if you GET the side effects.

The most expensive pharmaceutical Is a member of the _quin ‘family’ of antibiotics. Makes one suspicious of any drug the Dr, recommends. The pockets of the drug companies, and the Dr get fatter and fatter. The Drs don’t read enough about certain ‘deadly’ drugs, nor do they listen to the patient.

just a few points (some of which were made above by others…)

taking a chemical from laboratory curiosity to FDA approved drug costs something like $100,000,000. many potential drugs are rejected after spending a lot of money on development and testing.

patent protection is for twenty years, but (big but…) the approval process can take upwards of ten years, leaving the drug companies a limited time window to make use of their patent (monopoly) rights.

so when you pay a fortune for a pill, it’s not the cost of manufacturing that pill, but the cost of all the other drugs that didn’t get approved, plus fat profits and bonuses. of course, the bonuses go mostly to people who had very little to do with the actual discovery and development of the drug.

capitalism is a lousy system, but the others are even lousier…

Here’s a song that fits this comic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgoB2h_Wkco&feature=related

I TAKE OVER 50 SUPPLEMENTS A DAY WHICH HELP KEEP ME DISGUSTINGLY HEALTHY, FOR LESS THAN $200 MO. YUP, NATURAL FOOD IS MUCH CHEAPER WITH ZERO SIDE AFFECTS. I’M 78 AND HAVE 52 YEARS TO GO, WHETHER ANYONE LIKES IT OR NOT!.

zev.farkas:

I knew a med discoverer who was put on percentage when his discovery proved out.

That was a PERCENTAGE of the multi-billion$ cororation’s GROSS profits.

aerwalt -

glad to see someone made some money off of his discovery - but somehow, I think that’s the exception.

plus we have to consider the many, many people who also contribute to the long, expensive development and testing process, especially for all those tries that don’t pan out.

not to mention the lab animals (and various little bugs getting poisoned in petri dishes…)

elbeck: Your comment resonated with me. I can remember, when I was a child, our family GP coming out to our house some days (or nights) when I or one of my siblings was sick. Pat us on the head, take our temp, and give my folks some pills for us to take. Actual home visits from an actual General Practitioner who actually carried a “little black bag”… (And, as you mention, it really wasn’t that many years ago.)

Let’s see… Americans are living longer - much longer - than they did 50 years ago; their longer lives are healthier, more disease free; a big reason for this are the drugs developed by pharmaceutical research that Wiley demonizes in this silly, shallow cartoon. Anyone for knee-jerk liberal hack?

To all of you who don’t like your doctor for whatever reason - get your bleeep in gear and find one you like. If your doctor truely doesn’t listen to you - find one who will. Quit expecting your doctor to make you healthy by some superhuman effort of will. YOU are THE MOST important person responsible for your own care. Take an active part in it and stop whining.

Sorry - sore point with me. But I feel better for having said it.

We already have most of the drugs needed to treat most of the serious problems modern people have, and they are generic.

Now, to make profits, which is the main reason drug companies exist, they create new markets by creating new problems to take drugs for. Most of the new drugs in the past 10 years are targeted to problems such as overeating and sedentary lifestyle which could be avioded or managed without drugs.

And we crave them!

BRAVO docdan1. I think that captures Wiley’s point exactly.

It’s one thing to be given drugs for what you are complaining about, it is quite another to be told you must take drugs for something you don’t even have, but may get some day (i.e., Osteoporosis) especially when the side effects can be devastating (i.e., jaw bone deterioration & resultant loss of teeth). I hope that’s not an example of “preventive medicine.”

The only thing I begrudge Big Pharm is the advertising–I know entirely too many people who think they can self-diagnose and drive doctors nuts insisting they have this or that ailment and must have this or that drug they saw advertised, and then declare said doctor incompetent because they didn’t give in to said demands.