Do You Know These Shocking Facts About The “Caring” Pharmaceutical Industry and Their Products?
Benevolent or in it solely for profit? you be the judge
Corporate greed still remains an issue of some concern regarding pharmaceutical companies. According to figures released in early August 2022 the 10 largest pharmaceutical companies (by revenue), achieved a collective $734.8 billion in turnover and $130.6 billion in profits in 2021, according to the 2022 Fortune Global 500. With staggering sums of money such as these it may be surmised that the interests of the company employees and shareholders are considered well before those of the end users of their products.
Cynically destroying our environment and endangering human health
Environmental damage caused by the pharmaceutical industry is becoming an ever-increasing global concern as highlighted by Nordic Life Science News. Public-spirited pharmaceutical plants are often unwilling and incapable of filtering out toxic by-products of their manufacturing processes which are subsequently discharged into waterways. These chemicals subsequently end up in lakes, streams, rivers and, ultimately, the oceans.
Additionally, the actual pharmaceutical products may pass through the human body and, ultimately, into waterways. Improper disposal of unused pharmaceuticals can further supplement these levels, both of which may finally end up in drinking water. This contamination can have devastating effects on both human and aquatic health.
Side effects can be worse than the condition being treated
Pharmaceuticals potentially carry a toxicity in addition to any desired therapeutic effects. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) outlined this as follows:
“Both prescription and over-the-counter drugs have side effects. Side effects, also known as adverse reactions, are unwanted undesirable effects that are possibly related to a drug. Side effects can vary from minor problems like a runny nose to life-threatening events, such as a heart attack or liver damage.”
“A side effect is considered serious if the result is: death; life-threatening; hospitalization; disability or permanent damage; or exposure prior to conception or during pregnancy caused birth defect.”
Notwithstanding the scary nature of the above, common side effects include the following:
● Constipation
● Skin rash or dermatitis
● Diarrhea
● Dizziness
● Drowsiness
● Dry mouth
● Headache
● Insomnia
The goal of this blog is to highlight natural ways to, ideally, prevent illnesses or to treat them when they happen, without the need to resort to the use of such toxic chemicals.
Carrying out cruel and ineffective experiments on animals
Did you know that:
● Monkeys, dogs, rabbits, rats and mice have been used to test pharmaceuticals for humans for over fifty years.
● For each individual chemical test, 5000 animals are subjected to inhumane procedures. (National Centre for Biotechnology Information)
● Every year millions of animals are used in these cruel tests worldwide every year. In the region of 202,000 animals were used in 2018 in Britain alone.
● The majority of dogs and monkeys in laboratories are used for drug safety testing.
● There is still grossly insufficient scientific evidence for these tests – a fact which is known and acknowledged by many in the pharmaceutical industry.
● Testing the effects of drugs on one animal doesn’t reliably predict what would happen to any other – including humans, as each is genetically different. (Cruelty Free International)
● Currently 90% of pharmaceuticals fail in human clinical trials – despite extensive animal tests suggesting these medicines were safe and effective.
These shameful facts show the pharmaceutical industry for what it truly is.
Are we each really spending this much on pharmaceuticals?
When the annual per capita spend solely on pharmaceuticals in 2020 for the OECD countries is considered we find that the amounts (in US dollars) range from $233 in the UK (not shown in above chart) to a truly staggering figure of £1376 in the US.
It is no wonder the pharmaceutical industry is so immensely profitable.
Surely these are significant amounts taken from yearly disposable income that could be put to more effective use?