In this week’s cover story, writer Keegan Hamilton investigates the controversy surrounding ibogaine, the experimental hallucinogen drug that has helped kick meth and heroin addictions.
Ibogaine is illegal, even though its power to cure addicts has been proven. Hamilton’s story describes the many reasons the medical establishment and the government are wary of Ibogaine, despite its benefits, but one of them really stood out:
Because Ibogaine is an outright cure, drug companies want nothing to do with it.
Martin Kuehne, a chemist at the University of Vermont, is quoted in the story, saying, “Pharmaceutical companies don’t like cures. Really, they don’t — that’s the sad thing. They like treatment. Something for cholesterol or high blood pressure that you take for years and years, every day. That’s where the profit is.”
When we read that, a light went on. The worst thing for a drug company is a pill you take that completely cures you of your ailment with one dose, right? Where’s the money in that?
How about then selling things that make you sick.
Then sell you something that treats the symptoms for the rest of your life.
Why didn’t I think of that!
WOW!
# 21 Poisoned Patient
“How about then selling things that make you sick.”
They do, but lucky for us they can sell another pill to reverse some negative effects of the stuff they sold us in the first case.
Case 1: Schools requiring kids take Adderall; Long-term use can slow a child’s growth. Tell your doctor if the child on Adderall is not growing or gaining weight properly.
Case 2: Just listen to the Side effects companies are required to state in their TV commercials “Side effects are rare…may include death…)
Big Pharma sells pills claiming to fix all kinds of mental conditions have been marketed to the public, but many of those pills were approved for sale without proper research for side effects. Even worse: the side effects
Even worse: the side effects might have been known but hidden to the public.
Big Pharma and Dow Chemicals collaborate on novel agricultural chemicals with new modes of action. (sounds safe to me)
The cause of most birth defects is unknown. Genetic, nutritional, infectious, and other environmental factors, such as radiation, pharmaceuticals, and toxic chemicals, contribute to the total incidence of birth defects, but the percentage attributable to each is not known.
Amimby, excellent posts. It’s a relief to see some professional comment. There probably are no conspiracies, but as usual the deficiencies of the system are in plain sight. We just don’t seem to have the power to deal with them.
The major problem with drug companies is simply their being capitalistic… run for maximum profit. On August 23, I was diagnosed with CML (leukemia). I was prescribed Gleevec 400mg. When I went to have the prescription filled I nearly had a heart attack… $2800 per month for the rest of my life. Surprisingly Gleevec in the USA is $6000 per month! Why the difference, and why so much money at all? Oher life saving drugs seem to be priced at about the same amount. Is that a magic number to extract maximum profit? it seems so.
The researchers who discovered the defective gene and subsequent mechanism causing CML, worked at the University of Pennsylvania, primarily funded by public sources, particularly the National Cancer Institute. The researcher ultimately responsible for the treatment (Brian Druker, chair of Leukemia Research and professor of medicine at the Oregon Health and Science University Cancer Institute), and who handed Novartis the solution, had this to say in a published aritcle:
“the price at which imatinib has been offered for sale by Novartis around the world has caused me considerable discomfort. Pharmaceutical companies that have invested in the development of medicines should achieve a return on their investments. But this does not mean the abuse of these exclusive rights by excessive prices and seeking patents over minor changes to extend monopoly prices. This goes against the spirit of the patent system and is not justified given the vital investments made by the public sector over decades that make the discovery of these medicines possible.”
As far as I know there is no way for an average person to get a knockoff from India… if a knockoff even exists.
Let’s say there is a one-pill one-time cure for cancer.
Why not simply charge, say, $25,000 for the pill??
Everyone still gets paid, and the patient gets cured without lengthy hospital stays.
If you where a CEO and you could sell 30 days cancer drug prescription at $5,600 or 1 pill for $25,000 which do you push?
CEO’s in any company don’t get paid for solving a problem, they get paid for generating revenue streams and increasing profits.
Planned obsolescence is a better business model in almost all industries then a business model selling a high quality product once!!!
it works. In my early years I lived with non-fluoridated water and I have many cavities. Then we moved to a place with flouridated water and my two sisters grew up with perfect teeth and still only 2-3 small cavities.
Communist Plot to destroy the Purkinje fibers or something cheap and safe that works? I only have my own single experience to go on.
And humor aside, yes, thank you Animby for your good info. Few things have magic bullets and them that do grow out of it. Darwin never rests.
You don’t have to patent a cure if that’s not what your line of research is. If you’re working on just long term treatments for a disease’s symptoms, you’re not going to fund research or clinical trials for a cure you’re not working on, now are you?
# 27 GetSmart,
Companies owe nothing to society. All they are obligated too are their shareholders, all other be damned.
It’s nothing personal, it’s good business.
It’s all about shareholders return on investment and nothing more!!
Chris Rock has a great routine about “the money isn’t in the cure , the money is in the medicine.
What’s the last thing they cured ? Polio!”
The one I’ve always wondered about is how come they can’t cure plaque. It’s right out where you can get at it and it doesn’t seem that exotic or high tech. But imagine what it would do to the dental industry.
Pharmaceutical corps, scum of the earth!
Yup.
They don’t make an endless supply of money from cures.
They make an endless supply of money from TREATMENTS.
You want cures?
Die!
That’ll cure everything.
#23 – Skeptic – I certainly did not mean to indicate that BigPharma is above reproach in their business model only that I don’t believe the conspiracy model of business. Years ago, I was involved in some drug testing for the newly discovered class of blood pressure medicines called beta blockers. When introduced, they were very, very expensive. Now? Everyone makes them, the patents are off and they’re dirt cheap. That’s the way it always works for successful drugs. These companies spends billions in research and testing and they’re anxious to get their return on investment. Is that return excessive? That’s for other people to determine.
I’m sorry to hear of your medical condition. There is at least one generic form of Gleevec. I googled “gleevec generic” and found some Canadian pharmacies that sell it. A sample pharmacy was selling 30×400 mg tabs for $375 vs their Novartis product 30x400mg $3200. I’m not going to recommend a pharmacy to you but it’s worth researching.
I believe US law still allows importation for personal use. Again, that’s for you to investigate. Good luck.
Animby…. warmest thanks. I had no idea there was a generic out as the patent is still valid. Luckily I live in Ontario, Canada and found out that I qualify for a government co-payment plan based on income. However, I have noticed others on CML blogs who are struggling with the cost and I will certainly pass the generic drug info along.
Skeptic – Glad to hear you’re getting treatment. As I said, some countries are ignoring the patents justifying the action by sating the public good is more important than the patent holder’s profits. That could certainly lead to a slippery slope. Oh, well.
If you do recommend the generic alternative you must also pass along the caveat: The countries that manufacture these knock-offs may have lax quality control. In my experience, Brazilian and Indian drugs are being manufactured by large and reputable companies. That’s not to say due diligence should not be exercised. I strongly urge people to talk to their doctors about any generic they wish to purchase.
Perversely, I believe I have heard it is more difficult for Canadians to get some of these generics from the Canadian mail-order pharmacies than for people in the US.
Anyway, good luck to you.
#30 Colorado
Don’t tell anyone, but after getting your teeth cleaned next time, buy some “Ecodent” tooth powder and brush each time after eating: no more plaque.
That’s why none of them every want to cure diabetes. It’s infinitely more profitable to sell insulin and blood glucose test strips to you for the rest of your life then a one time $5,000 “cure”.
I’m sorry, but this isn’t paranoia just the reality of having an health care industry that’s designed “for profit”. If that’s what you want, ok fine, but don’t be an IDIOT and PRETEND they then want just what’s “best for you”…no they want whats best for their quarterly profits and shareholders, and if that happens to be treatment over cure then that’s what YOU get because YOU wanted a “for profit” health care system.
Be careful what you ask for, you might get it.
I seriously doubt the one pill cures permanently fantasy. But agree somewhat with the notion that cures for some things are being avoided. Like nicotine addition. The use of patches, to ween smokers off of cigarettes, seems stupid. There are NO alcohol, cocaine, or meth patches, to ween abusers off these substances. Why keep supplying nicotine in smaller, more gradual doses, rather than quitting it completely? It can be done. Thousands of people do it. But some are a little weaker willed. So why not keep them hooked, and give them a chance to relapse, by feeding them nicotine 24/7 thru their skin? Or provide nicotine in candy (gum)? Or some smokeless cigarette substitute? The weening you off an addiction excuse, seems to me to be a lie.
One day I decided to stop buying and consuming sodas and potato chips, for health reasons. Surprisingly I haven’t had any craving for either. If I had tried weening myself off these, I’m sure it wouldn’t work. Who can eat just one potato chip? Or take one swallow of Coke? What blows my mind now, is noticing how many people fill their shopping carts with this crap. The whole world seems addicted to liquid sugar and caffeine. Besides the National Smoke-Off day (sounds more like a smoking contest, than quitting). There ought to be a National Soda-Off day. Maybe diabetes rates would decrease substantially. And a National Chip-Off day, would lower high blood pressure a bit. Think of all the argo jobs there would be if we eat more natural foods, than the processed stuff that’s killing us.
I meant Agro-jobs, excuse the typo please. It’s late.
BTW, speaking of addictions. They now have something new called “I-Dosing”. Which is total crap, from what I can tell. Young people thinking they can get high from blasting a bunch of weird audio tracks over their headphones. Mostly it’s just the equivalent of spinning around in an office chair. The phasing of the stereo track, effects one’s perception of spacial orientation. And the loudness probably creates so much pain, than endorphins are released. The trade off is you go deaf faster. And then move onto harder substance abuse. Where’s the “brown noise” when you need it, for these idiots?
BTW, calling this so-called electronic high, “I-Dosing”, is obviously more Apple products slamming. They could just as easily call it “Zune-Spinning” or “Zuning”. But I’ll bet Microsoft would sue Fox News’ pants off. So what next on the Anti-Apple front. A roomer that stereo-graphic pictures viewed on iPads, causes permanent cross-eyed-ness?