Hooked on Prescription Drugs

Quotes from: Our Daily Meds: How the Pharmaceutical Companies Transformed Themselves
Into Slick Marketing Machines and Hooked the Nation on Prescription Drugs
By Melody Petersen




This book was written by a former New York Times correspondent, who specialized in covering the pharmaceutical companies. The more she looked into these companies, the more she realized that there was a major amount of information for a book.

What she discovered was that many drug companies are more concerned with sales than research. She found that the drug sales reps had enormous latitude in rewarding doctors with perks, bonuses, and that it was all part of the drug companies HUGE marketing budget.


“Selling prescription drugs-rather than discovering them-has become the pharmaceutical industry’s obsession.” (p.2)
“America has become the world’s greatest medicine show.” (p.4)


Americans spent $250 BILLION in 2005 on prescription drugs. Americans spend more on medicines that do all the people of:
-Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico,
Brazil and Argentina…combined!


Celebrities are spokesmen for the products. Professors and distinguished Doctors are on the payroll of major drug companies earning $25K+ for ‘speaking opportunities’ and up to $500K a year to tell people how wonderful the drug is, in the guise of objectivity.


The average American takes home 12 prescriptions a year, while older Americans take home 30.


Consequences: more than 100,000 Americans die each year not from illness…but from prescription drugs! That breaks down to 270 Americans dying every day from prescription pills.


Dr. Arnold Relman, professor emeritus at Harvard Medical School wrote:


“Again and again you see examples where patients get far more medication than they
need. The average senior in American is probably taking twice or three times the
medications they require.”




More to come next week…