Profit is a Conflict of Interest

Big Pharma Big Bucks movie review

I recently watched a fascinating and revealing documentary called “Big Pharma Big Bucks” which can be found here.

The documentary exposed the influence of marketing and money on the pharmaceutical drug industry and the way in which consumers’ and doctors’ perceptions are controlled through the efforts of the major drug companies.

Obviously I recommend that you watch the documentary for yourself, but for now here are some highlights.

Commercial advertising of prescription drugs:

The documentary showed how the drug companies use traditional TV advertising to promote their products to consumers. It’s fascinating, because I see these adverts on TV all the time, and yet I took them for granted. The lengths these companies go to in order to paint their drugs in a certain light is amazing. The typical drug commercial will show people who look slightly bothered by something, but otherwise ok. And the narrator gives symptoms that one might be experiencing, that in most cases will seem typical, yet the way the images and words are placed it supports the belief that these problems are abnormal and one should not have to live with the specific symptoms the commercial is referring to.  For example, one shows a person giving a presentation at work, and then feeling like everyone is judging them. And then it shows them at a wedding and feeling like people are watching them.  And the commercial refers to this as ‘social anxiety disorder.’  It then shows images of people who have presumably taken the medication and are having a great time. The commercials for viagra and other drugs that stimulate sexual arousal show men with beautiful, big-breasted women caressing each other in swimming pools, for example. 
Obviously if you take these drugs, you will not have these experiences.

They also point out in the documentary, how when reading the list of possible adverse side-effects, the commercials will show completely incongruent images of people having fun or relaxing. See, the companies higher multi-million dollar marketing firms which know that 70% of communication is non-verbal and that only 7% is the actual words you hear. Meaning that when someone sees a picture and hears contradictory words, they are more likely to believe the image rather than the words.

Promoting to doctors:

The documentary also exposed the point that doctors are actually the main targets for drug companies to market.  The companies spend the majority of their marketing funds taking doctors out to eat, playing golf with them, and giving them gifts. And they hide this by calling the gifts and activities “education” for the doctor. Though studies have shown that the amount of gifts given to doctors is in direct proportion to the amount of prescriptions that these doctors write for the drugs.  The companies know what they are doing and would obviously only spend the money where they know they are going to get a return. And they spend nothing to actually ‘educate’ consumers about the drugs, instead the use commercials designed to evoke emotions and impulse the consumer to desire the images they see on the TV and believe that the drugs are the answer.

And the reason why this is done, is solely for drug companies to increase their profits by selling more and more medication. One doctor remarked that he experienced patients coming to him requesting drugs they had seen on TV without even knowing what they do. For example, women coming in asking for viagra, lol.

The film also pointed out that in America, reactions from taking prescription drugs that were prescribed inappropriately is the #5 cause of death.

Now, in an Equal Money system, can you imagine that this would simply not happen?

Why would an organization in an Equal Money system go to such great lengths to manipulate people into getting their product if there were no such thing as profits?

The film also pointed out that many times the doctors are not treated well by most people and the sales reps from the drug companies exploit this by treating the doctors very well and making them feel respected. Thus the doctors are more likely to prescribe the drugs being promoted because in sales the first rule is that people by from salespeople they like and the easiest way to get someone to like you is to make them feel good about themselves. 

In an Equal Money system, why would the doctor feel unappreciated? Do they perhaps feel that way now, because they know, at least subconsciously, that they are deliberately harming people by prescribing drugs based on consumer advertising and not based on what is actually best for the patient.

Do they perhaps feel guilty deep down that they are paid thousands of times more than others who work just as hard? And do others not respect and appreciate them because they are secretly jealous that the doctor is paid more?

In an Equal Money system - each will take the role that suits them and that they would actually prefer to do. I mean, if you didn’t have to worry about surviving - at all - why would you choose to do something you didn’t want to do? If you knew that you were taken care of and did not have to worry about money for survival, would you do what you now do? Would you care what you were paid?

And one last question, if it were you or a loved one being operated on or prescribed medication for, would you want the doctor who is motivated by money, or the one who actually cares about what is best for the patient?

I highly recommend that you watch the film in its entirety as I have only hit on a few points mentioned in the film. The film covers many other points as well as going into more depth of explanation on the points I have just highlighted here.

--Cameron Cope