Pharmaceutical Industry

Fake Viagra, And More, Sweep Southeast Asia

Thailand drugs | Posted 10.23.2009 | World


BANGKOK, Thailand -- Little is real in Patpong, a glowing bazaar and sex district here in Bangkok. The Gucci is fake, the DVDs are pirated and the go-...

Our Kids: More Than a Sales Channel for Big Pharma

Robyn O'Brien | Posted 10.22.2009 | Living


Robyn O'Brien

We've got 80,000 chemicals in our everyday products here in the US, but the EPA has required testing on only 200 of them. Is it any wonder that the health of American children is under siege?

How to Live On $0 a Day: Bailouts for the Rest of Us

Lesley Stern | Posted 10.15.2009 | Comedy


Lesley Stern

It doesn't really matter why you need the money, all you know is that life as you know it will cease to exist if you don't get your hands on a big chunk of cash. Yesterday.

The Un-Credible Max Baucus and the Failure of Health Care Reform

Michael B. Laskoff | Posted 12.01.2009 | Politics


Michael B. Laskoff

Money spent on abstinence education is a waste, except for those pandering to please a minority of citizens who do tend to vote consistently.

Maryland's Commitment to Advancing Stem Cell Research

Gov. Martin O'Malley | Posted 11.28.2009 | Politics


Gov. Martin O'Malley

Last week, we announced that Maryland was entering into a new partnership with the State of California to collaborate on stem cell projects.

Health Care Reform: Drug Companies Are The Big Winners

usnews.com | Rick Newman | Posted 11.25.2009 | Business


As Congress gets closer to final healthcare-reform legislation, the central question remains murky: Who will foot the bill? Figures contained in th...

Erasing the Doughnut Hole for All Seniors -- A Senate Revolt Against Big Pharma Brewing!

Gail McGowan Mellor | Posted 11.23.2009 | Politics


Gail McGowan Mellor

An amendment offered by Senator Ben Nelson [D-FL] would reportedly lower the health care reform bill's cost by an additional $86 billion without reducing services.

Baucus Bill: Health Reform That Isn't

Marcia Angell, M.D. | Posted 11.21.2009 | Politics


Marcia Angell, M.D.

The Baucus bill makes it clear that the fix is in. We're now going to pour more money into a system that's already shown it can absorb whatever we put into it without providing anything like commensurate health care.

What Reforms Will The United States Have as a Result of This Recession?

Mark Weisbrot | Posted 11.18.2009 | Politics


Mark Weisbrot

If we look at the United States from the point of view of its potential, it seems that we have a very limited form of democracy.

The Final Sprint for Health Care Has Now Begun

Robert Reich | Posted 11.11.2009 | Politics


Robert Reich

The real political race for health care has just begun. Obama's speech should be seen as the starting gate of a two-month sprint between two competitors -- and they're not Democrats and Republicans.

Time to Sell Reading: What the "Good" Publishing Industry Needs to Learn from the Big "Bad" Drug Industry

Joanne Rendell | Posted 11.08.2009 | Media


Joanne Rendell

The book industry needs to make the act of reading sexy and hip, enviable and sought-after.

This Week In Cheating: Drugs

Jeff Kreisler | Posted 10.21.2009 | Comedy


Jeff Kreisler

So, let me get this straight: Pfizer is the drug company who'll lie to you, but Merck's the one that'll kill you?

Pfizer To Pay Record $2.3B Penalty For Illegal Drug Promotions

AP | DEVLIN BARRETT | Posted 10.18.2009 | Business


WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors hit Pfizer Inc. with a record-breaking $2.3 billion in fines Wednesday and called the world's largest drugmaker...

Why Society Works Better When We're Afraid and Fat

Christina Pirello | Posted 10.17.2009 | Living


Christina Pirello

We need to consider what has happened to the quality of our lives since we gave away control of our bodies; we must learn to use pharmaceuticals more appropriately and not medicate ourselves into oblivion.

Fake It Till You Make It: Placebos Are Getting More Effective

wired.com | STEVE SILBERMAN | Posted 09.28.2009 | Living


Merck was in trouble. In 2002, the pharmaceutical giant was falling behind its rivals in sales. Even worse, patents on five blockbuster drugs were abo...

Firing Squads and Death Panels

B. Jeffrey Madoff | Posted 09.24.2009 | Media


B. Jeffrey Madoff

My grandmother was one of the first people a pacemaker was used on. A lot of very sincere people believe that if Obama's health care reform bill passes, old people will essentially be facing death panels and denied care.

An Open Letter to Jane Smiley: Please Don't Believe Everything You Read

Maggie Mahar | Posted 09.21.2009 | Politics


Maggie Mahar

Based on what the mainstream press has been reporting, the president is letting us down. But the truth is, the press is just engaging in a time-honored media sport: first build someone up then tear him down.

Bogged Down By Special Interest, Health Care Reform Becomes a Political Tool Instead of a People's Right

Dr. Erika Schwartz | Posted 09.19.2009 | Politics


Dr. Erika Schwartz

Do not allow America to continue being manipulated by special interest groups and help the people of America understand that they must control their own fate.

I Am a Business Owner, and I Fully Support a Public Health Option

Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau | Posted 09.17.2009 | Politics


Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau

I am not an expert on health care reform. But I am an individual who is sick and tired of having one industry have so much control over my personal and business life.

White House-PhRMA Memo Surfaces Again

Wall Street Journal | Alicia Mundy | Posted 09.17.2009 | Politics


Since mid-July, the White House and the drug industry's Washington lobby, PhRMA, have denied any specific agreement that would give the industry big b...

Change We Can Believe In: Feelings Toward the Administration by Those Who Elected It

Drew Westen | Posted 09.13.2009 | Politics


Drew Westen

The American people did not vote for "bipartisan" solutions that split the difference between the failed ideology of the last eight years and the change the president and the super-majorities they elected in both houses of Congress promised.

When It Comes to Healthcare, Be Selfish

Gerald Sindell | Posted 09.12.2009 | Politics


Gerald Sindell

When I see talking heads, "experts," and politicians talking about healthcare, I want them to answer the people's, and only the people's questions.

How the White House's Deal With Big Pharma Undermines Democracy

Robert Reich | Posted 09.11.2009 | Politics


Robert Reich

I'm a strong supporter of universal health insurance, and a fan of the Obama administration. But I'm appalled by the deal the White House has made with the pharmaceutical industry's lobbying arm to buy their support.

Big Pharma has Lured Dems Into a Faustian Bargain

Merrill Goozner | Posted 09.11.2009 | Politics


Merrill Goozner

Reformers were naïve if they thought the world had changed simply because there were new tenants in the majority offices on the Hill or in the White House.

A Call to Action: Rabbis for Health Care Reform

Ira Forman | Posted 09.11.2009 | Politics


Ira Forman

The National Jewish Democratic Council is bringing together rabbis from across the country to stand up for comprehensive health insurance reform and we need your help and your voice.