General Discussion

hunter

(40,899 posts)

75. I think drug patents are unethical and drug research ought to be socialized.

Sun Dec 2, 2012, 11:56 PM

Dec 2012

The pharmaceutical corporations as they now exist can go directly to hell, do not pass GO, do not collect $200. No further drug patents will be granted. Current privately funded drug research programs would be required to seek public university affiliations.

We could cut DOD budgets and use some of these funds to power university medical research. The "win" for medical researchers when they discovered new medicines would be knowing they saved lives, academic recognition, a steady job, and for very big discoveries a Nobel Prize, celebrity, and a "researcher-for-life" sinecure, even for a researcher who decides to spend the rest of their life on a tropical island observing beach wildlife with a drink in one hand.

All new medicines would be open source to be manufactured by anyone with the capacity to do so safely. All medicines, even the latest discoveries, would be "generic."

Edit history

Please sign in to view edit histories.

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

99 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

America's Stunningly Overpriced Healthcare System In 2 Charts [View all] xchrom Dec 2012 OP

DURec leftstreet Dec 2012 #1

thanks for the charts, Princess Spice! Agony Dec 2012 #2

oh sure xchrom Dec 2012 #7

Wait.. I was asking for more details on the Healthcare Cost charts... Agony Dec 2012 #8

Notice that many countries are in a band right through the 8-12% region. geckosfeet Dec 2012 #3

We pay double because drug companies lobbied congress for a rule that says Mr. Blue Sky Dec 2012 #63

Notice also that the other outlier country, Switzerland kenny blankenship Dec 2012 #85

Because our lax regulatory laws Aerows Dec 2012 #4

Actually, no you don't subsidize the rest of the world. PDJane Dec 2012 #22

Congress instructed the CMS to never reimburse drug costs more than the average price Mr. Blue Sky Dec 2012 #62

Welcome to DU! hrmjustin Dec 2012 #66

Truth TrueBlueinCO Dec 2012 #44

FYI- many countries do research wilt the stilt Dec 2012 #46

And the US is defending Europe from whom? n/t MrModerate Dec 2012 #61

The US military protects a peaceful world TrueBlueinCO Dec 2012 #67

It doesn't hurt that most other countries do not have a for-profit middle man dflprincess Dec 2012 #69

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. Paul Wolfowitz Occulus Dec 2012 #96

I'm going to point this out to my "representative" who keeps blathering on Agony Dec 2012 #5

What is this thing you call... 99Forever Dec 2012 #6

Our high drug prices... SHRED Dec 2012 #9

Our high drug prices subsidize plutocrats. nt SunSeeker Dec 2012 #11

Thank-you. robinlynne Dec 2012 #53

How do our high prices subsidize other countries lower prices? groundloop Dec 2012 #14

Congress instructed the CMS to never reimburse drug costs more than the average price Mr. Blue Sky Dec 2012 #65

Our high drug prices are because drug companies lobbied congress for a rule that says Mr. Blue Sky Dec 2012 #64

America, the Patsy KansDem Dec 2012 #10

Naaah. $90 for an aspirin in the ER is the American way because.....freedom. SunSeeker Dec 2012 #13

if all you need is an aspirin magical thyme Dec 2012 #26

Exactly. They belong at the doctor's office. Ilsa Dec 2012 #35

depends on the symptoms...if it appears systemic magical thyme Dec 2012 #52

Wow.... Hope that I never have blood drawn blueamy66 Dec 2012 #86

I was very nice to him magical thyme Dec 2012 #89

Good that u are getting out of the field blueamy66 Dec 2012 #92

I'm so sorry.... magical thyme Dec 2012 #98

Thank you blueamy66 Dec 2012 #99

They're in the ER because they don't have health insurance. SunSeeker Dec 2012 #41

if all they need is an aspirin, it's not even a doctor issue magical thyme Dec 2012 #56

They wouldn't go to the ER if they thought all they needed was an aspirin. SunSeeker Dec 2012 #77

I'm curious as to where you provide health care magical thyme Dec 2012 #91

I don't provide health care. I'm on the receiving end. SunSeeker Dec 2012 #93

I know you don't provide healthcare, and I know you are on the receiving end. magical thyme Dec 2012 #97

my brother has medicare brokechris Dec 2012 #43

We call them frequent flyers magical thyme Dec 2012 #58

you must be one of the lovely health professionals brokechris Dec 2012 #82

I just went to the ER in intense pain from a kidney stone. Maven Dec 2012 #48

I didn't blame people who need care. magical thyme Dec 2012 #57

I quit the Med Tech profession 20 years ago. Sad to see it hasn't changed. mountain grammy Dec 2012 #83

I'm leaving as soon as I can magical thyme Dec 2012 #90

Wow. Where is this hospital so people know not to go there? SunSeeker Dec 2012 #94

The horror stories abound in the medical professions mountain grammy Dec 2012 #95

I'd like to see spending related to outcomes ... cilla4progress Dec 2012 #12

The no-negotiation clause in Bush's Medicare Part D explains a lot of that second chart. SunSeeker Dec 2012 #15

Right on the money, so to speak. !! pangaia Dec 2012 #28

Didn't Obama also put in Obama care a clause where the US govt may NOT negotiate lower drug prices? robinlynne Dec 2012 #54

The deal was never on the books per se. It was more of a backroom deal, but well documented. Selatius Dec 2012 #70

Obama tried to insert a negotiation provision, but the Republicans blocked it. SunSeeker Dec 2012 #73

K&R abelenkpe Dec 2012 #16

This is no secret to the White House DFW Dec 2012 #17

Very cool. Thank you for your efforts & sharing this. /nt think Dec 2012 #34

When he brought the subject up (reducing health care costs), DFW Dec 2012 #47

Drug industry sales are around $300 B/year or about 2% of GDP, so they are not the only problem FarCenter Dec 2012 #18

Not only is it expensive, it is stunningly incompetent... jumptheshadow Dec 2012 #19

45,000 people die annually burnsei sensei Dec 2012 #20

The best health care money can buy liberal N proud Dec 2012 #21

Recently I Replaced The Sponge Air Filter On My CPAP DallasNE Dec 2012 #23

That seems about right. (if you changed your inches to feet) BlueJazz Dec 2012 #31

And one more: jsr Dec 2012 #24

Somebody has to pay for the campaign donations. Jakes Progress Dec 2012 #25

"we pay for pharma and corpmed lobbyists" and their pet Risk Managers employed by "health" patrice Dec 2012 #37

One simple change makes Medicare solvent for the next 75 years BlueStreak Dec 2012 #27

That would be so un�American jsr Dec 2012 #42

The "invisible hand" around our throats. nt BlueStreak Dec 2012 #51

You are on the right track... Mr. Blue Sky Dec 2012 #68

It is time to stop being patsies on trade BlueStreak Dec 2012 #71

The drug companies lobbied for this rule... Mr. Blue Sky Dec 2012 #72

As one of my other countryman (Australian) said>> BlueJazz Dec 2012 #29

Which is why you can't keep Medicare as is... dkf Dec 2012 #30

*IF* that is true, it can only be done by identifying what is authentically excess relative to patrice Dec 2012 #36

For years I have listened to my idiot relatives bitch about tularetom Dec 2012 #32

YES!!!! Thank you. PDJane Dec 2012 #33

+++1google! patrice Dec 2012 #39

There is an entire professional field, in long-term care, devoted to how to fuck with CMS ... patrice Dec 2012 #40

+100 n/t antigop Dec 2012 #49

K&R! Dustlawyer Dec 2012 #38

The second chart's interesting to me.. Posteritatis Dec 2012 #45

Yes. We subsidize Europe's healthcare. Half the big drug companies are European McCamy Taylor Dec 2012 #81

And yet too many people are dying or suffer from chronic, untreated disease Cleita Dec 2012 #50

You should be PROUD! bvar22 Dec 2012 #55

Spot on! n/t Egalitarian Thug Dec 2012 #59

60 Minutes now. nt Duppers Dec 2012 #60

An article from 2010 jamtoday Dec 2012 #74

I think drug patents are unethical and drug research ought to be socialized. hunter Dec 2012 #75

We Need A System Reset To Realign US Prices With The Rest Of The World cantbeserious Dec 2012 #76

Indeed. In 15 years that graph will look the same kenny blankenship Dec 2012 #87

K&R. Overseas Dec 2012 #78

Health Ins going up 5X's the rate of inflation... lib2DaBone Dec 2012 #79

European drug companiesmarkup prices in the US so they can cut prices at home. McCamy Taylor Dec 2012 #80

i wonder what the first graph would look like... tomp Dec 2012 #84

Kicked and recommended. Uncle Joe Dec 2012 #88