Reuters have reported that the EU drug regulator has been critical on new pharmaceutical drugs. Perhaps he is looking for early retirement - daring to bite the hand of the Big Pharma companies that feed him!
A Reuters report, 15th December 2010, quotes Thomas Lonngren, head of the European Medicines Agency, saying that there was a 'mismatch between profit considerations and public health' - something I have been saying on this blog for a long time! We must always remember that the primary object of drug companies is profit, and not public health.
He also said that the drugs industry was going through 'a period of upheaval' as the patents on 'blockbuster drugs' were expiring, shrinking the industry's revenue base. This, of course, is one of the main pre-occupations of drug regulators - to get new drugs to patients as fast as possible so that drug companies get on return on their investment as soon as possible. However, he failed to mention the cost of litigation by patients who have been harmed by the dangerous drugs he has been responsible for passing during his ten years in office.
He was also calling for more research on new drugs, and more new drugs - despite speaking about the rise of 'superbugs', and the growing problem of bacteria that are 'resistant' to antibiotics. This is typical of ConMed, and Big Pharma. They dig large holes, then realise they are dangerous, and can only think of one solution - continuing to dig an even deeper hole!
He might have added something about how dangerous there were, too. But, of course, he didn't!
This was a Reuters release in early December 2010. If anyone saw this mentioned in the mainstream media, please let me know. Of course, it is not something they normally publish. I don't think we are supposed to know!
Overall, he painted a grim picture of the drug industry's recent output, saying many new medicines offered limited benefit and often helped a small minority of patients.
A Reuters report, 15th December 2010, quotes Thomas Lonngren, head of the European Medicines Agency, saying that there was a 'mismatch between profit considerations and public health' - something I have been saying on this blog for a long time! We must always remember that the primary object of drug companies is profit, and not public health.
He also said that the drugs industry was going through 'a period of upheaval' as the patents on 'blockbuster drugs' were expiring, shrinking the industry's revenue base. This, of course, is one of the main pre-occupations of drug regulators - to get new drugs to patients as fast as possible so that drug companies get on return on their investment as soon as possible. However, he failed to mention the cost of litigation by patients who have been harmed by the dangerous drugs he has been responsible for passing during his ten years in office.
He was also calling for more research on new drugs, and more new drugs - despite speaking about the rise of 'superbugs', and the growing problem of bacteria that are 'resistant' to antibiotics. This is typical of ConMed, and Big Pharma. They dig large holes, then realise they are dangerous, and can only think of one solution - continuing to dig an even deeper hole!
His conclusion - new medicines offered limited benefit,
and often helped only a small minority of patients.
This was a Reuters release in early December 2010. If anyone saw this mentioned in the mainstream media, please let me know. Of course, it is not something they normally publish. I don't think we are supposed to know!
Overall, he painted a grim picture of the drug industry's recent output, saying many new medicines offered limited benefit and often helped a small minority of patients.
