Looks like it's been a series of fairly bad days for big-Pharma megalith Merck, although you'd never know it to look at the mainstream news. In late June, a lawsuit that has been pending since 2010 was ordered "unsealed." That means, in real world terms, that the Defendant must now stop pretending to the public that it doesn't exist.
Two former Merck virologists allege that Merck defrauded the federal government when it sold millions of doses of vaccine that it knew to be of waning effectiveness. In a special kind of whistleblower lawsuit that allows private people to stand in the position of the government to stop fraud in government contracts, the former Merck scientists claim that Merck knowingly phonied up study results about effectiveness of the mumps vaccine in its famous MMR (measels, mumps, rubella) concoction, to hide the fact that the vaccine was becoming less effective as the virus mutated.
They allege that Merck, in its effectiveness studies, only used the "domesticated" version of the mumps virus--the one its vaccine was made from--and not the wild versions of the virus that people would actually be exposed to in the real world. They also allege Merck overstated effectiveness of the vaccine when it directed its scientists to "count" the viruses killed by animal antibodies that are sometimes added to samples to make it easier to find the human antibodies generated by the vaccine. So basically, Merck's effectiveness numbers included not only the viruses killed by the patient's immunity, but also those killed by a separate agent--sort of like if it poured Clorox on the samples and then claimed that its vaccine killed all the viruses the Clorox got. Finally, the virologists say that Merck fired labs whose results didn't agree with theirs, and threatened their employees with jail if they contacted FDA about the phony results. Nice.
And, only a week after the 2010 whistleblower case was unsealed, a chain or primary-care medical clinics also sued Merck, alleging that it intentionally overstated its vaccine's effectiveness to maintain a monopoly on the MMR vaccine market and make some extra money.
For its part, faced with public allegations that it phonied up test results, Merck says, "It's important to understand that none of the allegations in the complaint relate to the safety of M-M-R II and we remain confident that M-M-R II helps protect against measles, mumps and rubella as described in the labeling for the vaccine." Sort of a non-answer to the question whether it lied about the drug's effectiveness, isn't it?
So, just in the last several months, we've seen revealed that the statins people take to lower their cholesterol (so they don't have to eat right or exercise to do it) cause diabetes, muscle weakness, and memory loss. We've seen GlaxoSmithKline criminally convicted and fined $3 billion (about 10% of its profits for selling the drugs in the first place) for fraudulently marketing its antidepressants and diabetes drugs despite knowing of potentially fatal risks it wasn't disclosing. Now, Merck and its cash-cow-give-it-to-everyone-MMR. Kind of makes you wonder whether drugs are really helpful, or just very profitable.
So, how many prescriptions are YOU taking?
Read more about the lawsuits against Merck here, here, and here.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Not Anymore
Apparently, this clip came from a new series on HBO. All I can say is WOW. Someone clearly forgot to pay the censors to keep this off the air. Kind of makes me wish I watched TV.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Curtain
For the last few days, the news reports, online and otherwise, have talked about the Barclays bank scandal involving LIBOR, which is one of the main rates the big banks set as the price at which they'll lend other banks money. One can be forgiven if their eyes roll back in their heads and their mind goes into hibernation mode upon hearing this, since the whole subject of how interest rates are set isn't exactly a pulse-quickening notion.
But even if it's not exciting, let me assure you--this is a BIG DEAL. A big F-ing deal, in the immortal words of our Vice President. So this post is permission to freak out, just a little, over the news.
The LIBOR scandal, if it's pursued to its end, will wind up demonstrating that the entire banking model is corrupted, made-up fakery--basically Al Capone-style organized crime with a nicer suit. In essence, what the scandal means is that the supposed "market" price of money that we all have signed on to with our credit cards, adjustable rate loans, etc.--you know, so many points over "prime," has been a racket--a fixed deal with extra profits built in for the banks. This means that everyone whose had a mortgage or a credit card in the last couple of decades has probably been ripped off, because the "market" has been rigged. It also means that everything about the money "market," from interest paid on savings to the BAZILLIONS of dollars paid by taxpayers for supposed "debt" for government operations hasn't been a fair bargain, but instead one that was being fixed by conspiracy and collusion of the large banks, who, coincidentally, own the central banks.
Here's a cool video that explains it.
So, this is big. If anyone in the Western World still has any brain cells left after years of Angry Birds and pharmaceutically-induced coma, it may just spell the end of the road for the banksters doing pretty much as they damn well please, while the world says, "thank you sir, may I have another?" Wouldn't that be nice?
But even if it's not exciting, let me assure you--this is a BIG DEAL. A big F-ing deal, in the immortal words of our Vice President. So this post is permission to freak out, just a little, over the news.
The LIBOR scandal, if it's pursued to its end, will wind up demonstrating that the entire banking model is corrupted, made-up fakery--basically Al Capone-style organized crime with a nicer suit. In essence, what the scandal means is that the supposed "market" price of money that we all have signed on to with our credit cards, adjustable rate loans, etc.--you know, so many points over "prime," has been a racket--a fixed deal with extra profits built in for the banks. This means that everyone whose had a mortgage or a credit card in the last couple of decades has probably been ripped off, because the "market" has been rigged. It also means that everything about the money "market," from interest paid on savings to the BAZILLIONS of dollars paid by taxpayers for supposed "debt" for government operations hasn't been a fair bargain, but instead one that was being fixed by conspiracy and collusion of the large banks, who, coincidentally, own the central banks.
Here's a cool video that explains it.
So, this is big. If anyone in the Western World still has any brain cells left after years of Angry Birds and pharmaceutically-induced coma, it may just spell the end of the road for the banksters doing pretty much as they damn well please, while the world says, "thank you sir, may I have another?" Wouldn't that be nice?
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Money and Mouth
In this country, we talk a lot about "values." Freedom. Family. Education. God. Helping people. The word value means to assign something worth relative to other things. And our "values" are supposed to be the things we esteem more highly than other things. We assign a higher "worth" on things we value, right? And surely, in this country at least, we think of "value" as a monetary concept. We all know that the phrase "good value" means that we get something that's well worth the money we paid for it, relatively speaking. So, let's have a look at what Americans value.
My first listed value was freedom. So lets look at some things that we see as important to freedom. Well we're told (ad nauseum) that the military protects our freedom and dies for it if necessary. A staff sergeant (E6) in the US Army makes $34,636. Not much "value" there. The Press-that's important to freedom. Even Thomas Jefferson said so. A journalist in the US makes an average of $58,467. Well, that's a little better, but still pretty low for a bastion of our "values."
What about family? Well, we all know how much you make for being a parent. Zip. Zilch. Nada. But that's a volunteer gig, so it doesn't really count. But how about someone who helps a volunteer parent keep a family together--a nanny. Average: $31,200. Yikes. Housekeeper: $21,955. Daycare worker? $19,300. Ouch. So much for valuing family.
Education. That's certainly an American "value," isn't it? Well, a high school teacher makes an average $43,668. Other grades make less. A liberal arts college professor makes $80,627. Not much evidence that we care a lot about education, is there?
Well there's helping people. Yeah, that's it. Here we go: a cancer researcher makes an average $160,000. Brain surgeon can make up to $602,538. That's certainly more like it.
And what about God? Certainly that will make our list favorably. Well, the median income for a pastor: $85,455. Not bad, but on a scale of eternity? Meh.
So, what DO we value?
Pounding people to a pulp over a little brown ball, aided by assorted pharmaceuticals. Average NFL player: $1,900,000.
Big breasts, big muscles, lack of taste or brains. Cast member on Jersey Shore, Season 4: $1,400,000.
Siphoning money out of the real economy and stifling real business and competition. Average Goldman Sachs employee: $367,057 or more. Corporate Bond Trader: $1,000,000 . Mergers and Acquisitions Banker: $2,000,000
Yup. It seems that in "values," just like in everything else, you get what you pay for. 'Nuff said.
My first listed value was freedom. So lets look at some things that we see as important to freedom. Well we're told (ad nauseum) that the military protects our freedom and dies for it if necessary. A staff sergeant (E6) in the US Army makes $34,636. Not much "value" there. The Press-that's important to freedom. Even Thomas Jefferson said so. A journalist in the US makes an average of $58,467. Well, that's a little better, but still pretty low for a bastion of our "values."
What about family? Well, we all know how much you make for being a parent. Zip. Zilch. Nada. But that's a volunteer gig, so it doesn't really count. But how about someone who helps a volunteer parent keep a family together--a nanny. Average: $31,200. Yikes. Housekeeper: $21,955. Daycare worker? $19,300. Ouch. So much for valuing family.
Education. That's certainly an American "value," isn't it? Well, a high school teacher makes an average $43,668. Other grades make less. A liberal arts college professor makes $80,627. Not much evidence that we care a lot about education, is there?
Well there's helping people. Yeah, that's it. Here we go: a cancer researcher makes an average $160,000. Brain surgeon can make up to $602,538. That's certainly more like it.
And what about God? Certainly that will make our list favorably. Well, the median income for a pastor: $85,455. Not bad, but on a scale of eternity? Meh.
So, what DO we value?
Pounding people to a pulp over a little brown ball, aided by assorted pharmaceuticals. Average NFL player: $1,900,000.
Big breasts, big muscles, lack of taste or brains. Cast member on Jersey Shore, Season 4: $1,400,000.
Siphoning money out of the real economy and stifling real business and competition. Average Goldman Sachs employee: $367,057 or more. Corporate Bond Trader: $1,000,000 . Mergers and Acquisitions Banker: $2,000,000
Yup. It seems that in "values," just like in everything else, you get what you pay for. 'Nuff said.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Here's to Your Health! Now, Who's Going to Jail?
So, it's being reported (here, here, and here are some examples) that Pharma-Giant GlaxoSmithKline has just pleaded guilty to criminal charges that it fraudulently marketed some of its big sellers, anti-depressants Paxil and Wellbutrin--in spite of grave risks that the drugs caused a greatly increased likelihood of suicide, and that it withheld required data showing that its diabetes drug, Avandia, caused potentially fatal heart problems.
What's now been admitted by GSK is that, despite knowing about, and covering up data that showed Paxil caused a risk of suicide 8 times greater than placebo, especially in young people, GSK marketed Paxil for off-label use--that is, use that's not approved by the FDA--in young people!
The also admit that they marketed anti-depressant Wellbutrin as a treatment for obesity, anxiety, addiction, and ADHD, although it was not approved for those uses, and posed risks that, because it was "off-label" use, weren't fully disclosed to patients.
And, just to make sure that their deadly snake oil could get maximum distribution, GSK gave perqs to doctors, like fancy-pants spa visits, hunting trips, and vacations to Jamaica to induce them to prescribe the drug, and helped to publish a journal article that misrepresented data about the drug's effectiveness.
In the case of Avandia, whose use was severely restricted in 2010 after it was linked to heart risks, the company admitted that it had failed to report data from studies that indicated Avandia could cause possibly fatal heart problems. It also admitted to making false or exaggerated claims of its safety and effectiveness, ironically touting it as good for your cardiovascular health (all except for those possible fatal heart problems, that is).
For all of this, GSK has agreed to pay about $3 BILLION in criminal and civil fines--the largest penalty in big-Pharma history. They'll probably also get the socks sued off them by families of teens who tried or succeeded in committing suicide because of their unapproved use of Paxil. Please, please, can I PLEASE be on the jury?
Who could have known that drug companies don't really care if people die, just so long as they buy their pills first? Oh gee, I don't know---maybe all of us, if we'd actually thought about it. You know, how pharma companies (whose ONLY legal purpose and obligation in life is to make the most money possible for their shareholders) might have a disincentive to actually cure a health problem, when it could make money like clockwork every month by keeping you sick, but selling you pills to "manage" your condition. I think I might have mentioned that once or twice in the past.
Notably missing from all the reports of GSK's now-admitted wrongdoing: Which marketing genius, CEO, or other muckety-muck is going to do time because of it? Oh yeah, I forgot. If you kill someone while robbing a convenience store of $38.40, you do life. If you kill people while making obscene profits for your corporate overlords, you get promoted.
What's now been admitted by GSK is that, despite knowing about, and covering up data that showed Paxil caused a risk of suicide 8 times greater than placebo, especially in young people, GSK marketed Paxil for off-label use--that is, use that's not approved by the FDA--in young people!
The also admit that they marketed anti-depressant Wellbutrin as a treatment for obesity, anxiety, addiction, and ADHD, although it was not approved for those uses, and posed risks that, because it was "off-label" use, weren't fully disclosed to patients.
And, just to make sure that their deadly snake oil could get maximum distribution, GSK gave perqs to doctors, like fancy-pants spa visits, hunting trips, and vacations to Jamaica to induce them to prescribe the drug, and helped to publish a journal article that misrepresented data about the drug's effectiveness.
In the case of Avandia, whose use was severely restricted in 2010 after it was linked to heart risks, the company admitted that it had failed to report data from studies that indicated Avandia could cause possibly fatal heart problems. It also admitted to making false or exaggerated claims of its safety and effectiveness, ironically touting it as good for your cardiovascular health (all except for those possible fatal heart problems, that is).
For all of this, GSK has agreed to pay about $3 BILLION in criminal and civil fines--the largest penalty in big-Pharma history. They'll probably also get the socks sued off them by families of teens who tried or succeeded in committing suicide because of their unapproved use of Paxil. Please, please, can I PLEASE be on the jury?
Who could have known that drug companies don't really care if people die, just so long as they buy their pills first? Oh gee, I don't know---maybe all of us, if we'd actually thought about it. You know, how pharma companies (whose ONLY legal purpose and obligation in life is to make the most money possible for their shareholders) might have a disincentive to actually cure a health problem, when it could make money like clockwork every month by keeping you sick, but selling you pills to "manage" your condition. I think I might have mentioned that once or twice in the past.
Notably missing from all the reports of GSK's now-admitted wrongdoing: Which marketing genius, CEO, or other muckety-muck is going to do time because of it? Oh yeah, I forgot. If you kill someone while robbing a convenience store of $38.40, you do life. If you kill people while making obscene profits for your corporate overlords, you get promoted.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Who Knew?
A while back, in a post titled, When the People Win, I talked about the situation in Iceland, as an example of what could happen if we just flew the interdigital bird in the direction of our friends, the Big Banksters, and said, "no, sorry, won't be paying you to tank our economy anymore, and by the way, we won't be paying you your protection racket money anymore to keep you from tanking our economy, either."
Back in 2008, when the banksters crashed Iceland's economy, Icelanders refused to give them trillions of dollars as a reward called "bailouts." Then they refused to accept "austerity," which is code for take the money from regular people in taxes, cut all the programs that benefit regular people, and give all the money to the Big Banksters and Big Business, then collect fat campaign donations from Big Bank and Big Biz, so you can do it again later on. What did they do instead? The arrested a bunch of furry bankster behinds, took out their corrupted politicians, defaulted on the fake debt the banksters had run up, and began to run their own country again.
I thought that it sounded like a pretty dang good idea--one we should emulate. Well, the edgiest of the mainstream media, the Young Turks show, has finally caught up with a little housewife in the midwest. The video is below. I still think the Icelanders are on to something here. Shall we meet at the Capitol? I'll bring the rocks.
Back in 2008, when the banksters crashed Iceland's economy, Icelanders refused to give them trillions of dollars as a reward called "bailouts." Then they refused to accept "austerity," which is code for take the money from regular people in taxes, cut all the programs that benefit regular people, and give all the money to the Big Banksters and Big Business, then collect fat campaign donations from Big Bank and Big Biz, so you can do it again later on. What did they do instead? The arrested a bunch of furry bankster behinds, took out their corrupted politicians, defaulted on the fake debt the banksters had run up, and began to run their own country again.
I thought that it sounded like a pretty dang good idea--one we should emulate. Well, the edgiest of the mainstream media, the Young Turks show, has finally caught up with a little housewife in the midwest. The video is below. I still think the Icelanders are on to something here. Shall we meet at the Capitol? I'll bring the rocks.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
The Only Time is Now
I've been getting indications that you all have noticed the scarcity of my postings of late. I'm finding it increasingly difficult to get motivated to do things that require discipline, planning, or forethought, like thinking about or researching blog subjects. On the flip side, I'm finding it easier, even natural, to do things that I feel like doing. I've been living in the present.
I know this sounds like the indulgence of an irresponsible urge--a childish failure to live up to my obligations--but in fact, I'm becoming aware that it's really the development of an essential skill that I've lacked for pretty much my entire life. You see, I'm a worrier. A control freak. Always have been.
I've always been one of those people who will endlessly, circularly, wonder and fret about how everything will play out in my life. I will think about how I will pay for my kids' college, how I will have 'enough' for a good retirement, how I will get everything done that needs done, when I'll pay the utility bills, whether I should get the oil changed in my car, what I will say to someone, what I should have said to someone, what someone will think about me, etc. For quite a while, I've understood intellectually that worrying, pondering, and planning every detail of my life is fruitless. You can't actually change anything by worrying about it, and you can't actually make things happen the way you want by "planning" them. But, know that as I might, I still did it.
Lately though, I've been increasingly understanding that, so long as you're spending your energy on thinking about the past or worrying about the future, you're actually using up all the time and energy you're allotted for right now. The import of this may not be obvious, so allow me to belabor the point for just a moment.
In our culture, we are taught in all kinds of ways, to focus on the past. We have "reunions" that are all about trying to live up to, or overcome, who we were when we were in high school. Yikes--thank goodness I've never attended one. We spend untold billions of dollars on "beauty products" and "procedures" designed to help us pretend that we're still young and stupid, instead of being proud of who we are, and how we've cared for ourselves, in the present. I don't know about anyone else, but you couldn't pay me to go back and be who I was at 20, or 30, or even 40. I view my wrinkles and spots and veins as proof that I've made enough mistakes to know better next time. My age is a warning to people not to mess with me. :-)
Speaking of mistakes, even our version of morality has you scour and examine your past for "sins." You are then told that you are to spend your time today "making up" for those missteps, by praying or performing some ritual, or doing good deeds or whatever. We're told that it is only after we've spent time doing whatever is the recommended penance can we move on from our mistake. Now, I've got no problem with the idea of praying or doing good deeds, but why dedicate those things to the idea of stuff you did wrong in the past? Rehashing and then trying to make up for your past errors actually doubles the time in your life you waste on your own stupidity, and frankly, in my life, I've made enough mistakes that I just don't have the time. I've decided that, for me at least, just recognizing that I've made a mistake and deciding to do better next time should be enough. Then, get on with life--right now. Pray or do good deeds because it improves today, not because it makes up for something yesterday.
Speaking of mistakes, even our version of morality has you scour and examine your past for "sins." You are then told that you are to spend your time today "making up" for those missteps, by praying or performing some ritual, or doing good deeds or whatever. We're told that it is only after we've spent time doing whatever is the recommended penance can we move on from our mistake. Now, I've got no problem with the idea of praying or doing good deeds, but why dedicate those things to the idea of stuff you did wrong in the past? Rehashing and then trying to make up for your past errors actually doubles the time in your life you waste on your own stupidity, and frankly, in my life, I've made enough mistakes that I just don't have the time. I've decided that, for me at least, just recognizing that I've made a mistake and deciding to do better next time should be enough. Then, get on with life--right now. Pray or do good deeds because it improves today, not because it makes up for something yesterday.
Our culture also teaches us to obsess about the future. We're supposed to plan for our retirement, save for a rainy day, book a wedding venue two or three years ahead, sign on for thirty years of debt to have a place to live, open a college savings account when our kid is two, have six months of liquid assets in the bank, yadda, yadda, yadda. None of this stuff is a bad idea. But if it results in doing stuff that makes you worried, obsessive and unhappy now for the supposed promise of some satisfaction years down the road, it's the height of stupidity. If it causes you to forego doing something that would really enrich your life today so that you can have more dinners at a cafeteria when you're 80, well, sorry, but I don't much like canned green beans anyway.
So many people put off happiness and satisfaction for the supposed safety or security of what we might get, have, or need, someday. Ask the people who put their savings in trading accounts at MFGlobal, or with Bernie Madoff how well it worked for them. They would have been better off giving fists full of money to perfect strangers than how they wound up. At least they would have made somebody's day. And even if there's no financial funny business, we don't know if we'll be alive at the end of the mortgage, when the kid is old enough for college, or even tomorrow. So all most of us are doing with all this focus on the future is trying to convince ourselves that we have control over something tomorrow so that we can conveniently ignore that we're giving up our control (and enjoyment) of today.
So many people put off happiness and satisfaction for the supposed safety or security of what we might get, have, or need, someday. Ask the people who put their savings in trading accounts at MFGlobal, or with Bernie Madoff how well it worked for them. They would have been better off giving fists full of money to perfect strangers than how they wound up. At least they would have made somebody's day. And even if there's no financial funny business, we don't know if we'll be alive at the end of the mortgage, when the kid is old enough for college, or even tomorrow. So all most of us are doing with all this focus on the future is trying to convince ourselves that we have control over something tomorrow so that we can conveniently ignore that we're giving up our control (and enjoyment) of today.
I'm not sure what has occurred to make this very obvious truth finally penetrate the rigid little pores of my consciousness all of a sudden, but something has. And so I've been trying to spend my energy in the present--enjoying one of the last years where I'll have both my girls home for the summer, gardening, playing games, walking dogs, knowing that the past is best left right where it is (in the past), and trusting that the future will be here when, if, and how it's supposed to be. This isn't a recommendation to be stupid or thoughtless or frivolous. It's just a recommendation to just go ahead and BE. Now.
So here's some cool thoughts about focusing on the now. I'm going to keep working on it.
Eternity is not something that begins after you are dead. It is going on all the time. ~Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Forever is composed of nows. ~Emily Dickinson
Forever is composed of nows. ~Emily Dickinson
Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around in awareness. ~James Thurber
We crucify ourselves between two thieves: regret for yesterday and fear of tomorrow. ~Fulton Oursler
We crucify ourselves between two thieves: regret for yesterday and fear of tomorrow. ~Fulton Oursler
Pile up too many tomorrows and you'll find that you've collected nothing but a bunch of empty yesterdays. ~The Music Man
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