Ethics in Medicine

[dmp]

I stumbled across an idea which sorta stuck in my mind:

In a free-market society, Vaccines...are not very profitable.

Ever give that much thought? Is it ethical for Drug companies to 'not' pursue vaccines? Drug Companies have a right to make profits, sure. If they 'had' a cure for the Common Cold, they'd loose MILLIONS/Billions? in cold-symptom remedies. What about AIDS?

Where do you stand on the issue? Anyone suspect any cover ups, etc? Thoughts?

 

[The ClayTaurus]

I stumbled across an idea which sorta stuck in my mind:

In a free-market society, Vaccines...are not very profitable.

Ever give that much thought? Is it ethical for Drug companies to 'not' pursue vaccines? Drug Companies have a right to make profits, sure. If they 'had' a cure for the Common Cold, they'd loose MILLIONS/Billions? in cold-symptom remedies. What about AIDS?

Where do you stand on the issue? Anyone suspect any cover ups, etc? Thoughts?

You haven't heard the conspiracy theories? Or is this sarcastic?

 

[dmp]

You haven't heard the conspiracy theories? Or is this sarcastic?

I have not.

 

[LuvRPgrl]

I stumbled across an idea which sorta stuck in my mind:

In a free-market society, Vaccines...are not very profitable.

Ever give that much thought? Is it ethical for Drug companies to 'not' pursue vaccines? Drug Companies have a right to make profits, sure. If they 'had' a cure for the Common Cold, they'd loose MILLIONS/Billions? in cold-symptom remedies. What about AIDS?

Where do you stand on the issue? Anyone suspect any cover ups, etc? Thoughts?

Your concept assumes the company working on the cold cure, also manufactures cold remedies. Many companies dont. Not to mention, if one company was closing in on the cure for the common cold, then they would know others arent far beyond, and they would want to get it to market first.

 

[dmp]

Your concept assumes the company working on the cold cure, also manufactures cold remedies. Many companies dont. Not to mention, if one company was closing in on the cure for the common cold, then they would know others arent far beyond, and they would want to get it to market first.

No - my concept only assumes a company - where ever they may be in the chain - would rather Sell a treatment for SYMPTOMS than a Cure.

(shrug)

 

[LuvRPgrl]

No - my concept only assumes a company - where ever they may be in the chain - would rather Sell a treatment for SYMPTOMS than a Cure.

(shrug)

But your concept will only work if thats the only company that could work for a cure. Its not an industry that is solidified in thought.

Ok, so you are saying "one" company may be doing this. Fine. Its not legally or morally obligated to pursue it, unless it has some sort of a lock on the research, which they wouldnt. Trust me, if one company has come up with one, then others will soon follow suit. You ever notice how worldwide there is always a "race" for discoveries. Take nuclear bombs for example, other countries were working on it when we developed ours.

 

[dmp]

But your concept will only work if thats the only company that could work for a cure. Its not an industry that is solidified in thought.

What are you talking about??? lol. It's not MY concept.

Does this help:

"ANY company...ANY drug company is MORE interested in selling treatments than they are interested in selling CURES."

 

[Said1]

No - my concept only assumes a company - where ever they may be in the chain - would rather Sell a treatment for SYMPTOMS than a Cure.

(shrug)

Considering there are about 2 dozen brands of cough syrup etc, your're probably not far off.

 

[The ClayTaurus]

I have not.

Well, the industry's ultimate goal is to drive itself out of business, in a way. Does this mean there are evil overlords killing off those who cure diseases? No. Is there a conflict of interest? Yes. This is why people like that guy who was selling the book "medical secrets they don't want you to know" or whatever that book was called make money, because it doesn't take much to paint the picture of drug companies screwing you.

 

[Mr. P]

Well, the industry's ultimate goal is to drive itself out of business, in a way. Does this mean there are evil overlords killing off those who cure diseases? No. Is there a conflict of interest? Yes. This is why people like that guy who was selling the book "medical secrets they don't want you to know" or whatever that book was called make money, because it doesn't take much to paint the picture of drug companies screwing you.

Right you are, consider some random thoughts…..

We have invented vaccine for polio, but not the common cold.
We have landed on the moon, but haven’t cured the common cold.
We discovered and treated Legionaries disease in months, but haven’t cured the common cold.
Etc,etc…….

I DON’T subscribe to the drug company conspiracy stuff, but Ya gotta wonder.

 

[Hobbit]

Right you are, consider some random thoughts…..

We have invented vaccine for polio, but not the common cold.
We have landed on the moon, but haven’t cured the common cold.
We discovered and treated Legionaries disease in months, but haven’t cured the common cold.
Etc,etc…….

I DON’T subscribe to the drug company conspiracy stuff, but Ya gotta wonder.

*Dons science cap*

As a geek, I feel that it's my duty to inform those who don't know exactly why we haven't cured the common cold.

First off, there is no singular disease known as "the common cold." In fact, the sheer number of cold viruses is so vast that they haven't even been named, merely numbered. Notice that symptoms vary. Sometimes, you get a cold and you have a runny nose and sneeze a lot. Sometimes, it's a cough. That's because there are hundreds of different "cold" viruses. Theoretically, we could vaccinate against the common cold, like we did against smallpox, but it would cost trillions of dollars in research and would take hundreds of shots, not to mention the fact that, in order to keep from overwhelming your immune system, they'd only be able to be given a few at a time. Other, virtually eliminated viruses, on the other hand, have only one strain. Polio, measles, mumps, scarlet feaver, smallpox...all of them are only a single virus, meaning it only takes a vaccination to immunize (or actually catching a case and getting over it, but who wants that?)

As for the other examples listed:

Travelling to the moon was mainly a question of achieving escape velocity with enough air to get to the moon and then precise enough instruments to hit the atmosphere at the right angle. The computer they used was larger than my room and less powerful than a 486.

Legionnaires’ disease is a bacteria, making it easily treatable with common antibiotics such as penicillin and erithromycin.

AIDS, on the other hand, is a tough case. First off, it targets the immune system, the very devices meant to fight it. Second, it mutates faster than the flu virus, meaning that there are now dozens of strains, each of which must be treated seperately. Lastly, AIDS is the most preventable plague in the world right now, and the majority of funding has gone into the much easier aspect of AIDS, prevention.

The easy answer to the question, "Why have they cured this, but not that?" is "Some diseases are easier to cure than others."

 

[LuvRPgrl]

well, there goes our fun ,,, now I suppose hobbit is gonna explain why the bumble bee cant fly

 

[The ClayTaurus]

well, there goes our fun ,,, now I suppose hobbit is gonna explain why the bumble bee cant fly

What Hobbit didn't mention was that there might be a way to treat a host of virii that are similar yet different. Maybe the drug companies want you to believe that it's not possible to attack a host of similar virii with one vaccine. There, now your conspiracy theory is back.

 

[Said1]

What Hobbit didn't mention was that there might be a way to treat a host of virii that are similar yet different. Maybe the drug companies want you to believe that it's not possible to attack a host of similar virii with one vaccine. There, now your conspiracy theory is back.

There are some vacine like drugs out there, but the body quickly builds up a resistance to them. Or so we're told.

I was treated with one that was so outrageously expensive, it cost more than all my monthly expenses combined. It worked though.

 

[Hobbit]

well, there goes our fun ,,, now I suppose hobbit is gonna explain why the bumble bee cant fly

Actually, in the late 1990s, aerodynamicists finally figured out how they did it by putting highly sensitive instruments in a chamber with a very accurate model bumblebee. It has to do with small, air 'microcurrents' that were so small that they had previously been undetected. These currents gave the bee the necessary lift.

What Hobbit didn't mention was that there might be a way to treat a host of virii that are similar yet different. Maybe the drug companies want you to believe that it's not possible to attack a host of similar virii with one vaccine. There, now your conspiracy theory is back.

Actually, cold virii are very dissimilar. The symptoms may be similar, but the symptoms associated with colds are actually similar across most diseases. The body detects something bad and attempts to contain it, then flush it, leading to symptoms ranging from coughing up microbe filled phlegm to full blown vomiting and diarrhea. The germs themselves, and the cells they target, are quite different. Head colds target the linings of the sinuses. Coughs target the trachea. Chest colds target the lungs. Much like the multitudes of bugs that target crops, they're very different with similar final effects. Locusts, aphids, caterpillars, and some types of ants all cause the same affect...dead, eaten plants. However, not all of these pests are even insects.

 

[The ClayTaurus]

Actually, in the late 1990s, aerodynamicists finally figured out how they did it by putting highly sensitive instruments in a chamber with a very accurate model bumblebee. It has to do with small, air 'microcurrents' that were so small that they had previously been undetected. These currents gave the bee the necessary lift.



Actually, cold virii are very dissimilar. The symptoms may be similar, but the symptoms associated with colds are actually similar across most diseases. The body detects something bad and attempts to contain it, then flush it, leading to symptoms ranging from coughing up microbe filled phlegm to full blown vomiting and diarrhea. The germs themselves, and the cells they target, are quite different. Head colds target the linings of the sinuses. Coughs target the trachea. Chest colds target the lungs. Much like the multitudes of bugs that target crops, they're very different with similar final effects. Locusts, aphids, caterpillars, and some types of ants all cause the same affect...dead, eaten plants. However, not all of these pests are even insects.

Yeah, but you can kill all those pests using fire. So why haven't the drug companies put fire into a pill? Assholes.

Keep repeating what the drug companies are selling, errr, telling you, nerd.

 

[Hobbit]

Yeah, but you can kill all those pests using fire. So why haven't the drug companies put fire into a pill? Assholes.

Keep repeating what the drug companies are selling, errr, telling you, nerd.

It's called chemo, and that only works against cancer.

 

[The ClayTaurus]

It's called chemo, and that only works against cancer.

That's not fire in a pill, that's acid.

 

[theHawk]

I believe it. The medical industry would be devistated if there were cures for such things. Makes you wonder if the stories about Dr. Royal Rife finding a way to erradicate virtually every known virus back in the 1930's was true or not. It was well documented that this man cured cancer as well as many other diseases on many different occasions, but mysteriously, his methods are not researched by mainstream medical companies.



http://www.rife.org/

 

[Mr. P]

We have invented vaccine for polio, but not the common cold.
We have landed on the moon, but haven’t cured the common cold.
We discovered and treated Legionaries disease in months, but haven’t cured the common cold.
Etc,etc…….

I DON’T subscribe to the drug company conspiracy stuff, but Ya gotta wonder.

In my first post (above) I was eluding to the fact that we have the science and technology to cure or prevent and accomplish many things.

How about another thought….

If we can clone animals, if we can decode DNA, if we can “treat” most anything, why can’t we cure/prevent a damn common cold, cure cancer, aids?
It makes no sense to me.

Like I said, ya gotta wonder.