By RF Schatten
The downside of Capitalism...when the excessive indulgence of greed at the expense of those less fortunate is heralded by a portion of our population as "their Right under the Constitution"...there's something very very immoral about all that!?!? John Maynard Keynes once said; "Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone". Whether to his chagrin or to his expectation of human nature...yes! the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things...but not necessarily for the greatest of good for everyone!
Enter a piece of human excrement by the name of Martin Shkreli, a former "Hedge Fund" manager turned Pharmaceutical Entrepreneur...a shining example of what so many people for so many years have concluded about the failure of Capitalism!...screw the living hell out of those less fortunate, even if it means their death! Money may be the root of all evil for those with a moral conscience, but 'greed' doesn't have a conscience.
What did this schmuck do? what's his business model? A former Hedge Fund scam artists with absolutely no understanding of Medicine, taking a start-up Pharmaceutical business by buying out old Rx patents and turning them into very expensive and exclusive "Specialty" drugs! You have cash? you're saved!! You can't afford it? fuck you! there's no Generic, so you're dead!! Next!!
The Drug in question? A 62 year old Antibiotic named Daraprim. It's the standard care for treating "Toxoplasmosis", a very dangerous and life-threatening Parasitic Infection, it's also for those with compromised immune systems, like AIDS patients and certain Cancer Patients.
Has anyone seen a patient with Toxoplasmosis? Has anyone seen the suffering a person goes through? or the Birth defects if the mother contracted it during pregnancy? The author calls it "Terrible Defects"...in my experience in Medicine...he was too kind in his description!
Raising the cost of per (1) Tablet from $13.50 to $750, resulting in an increase in the annual cost of treatments for patients to the Hundreds of Thousands of $$$$$. Similar to what other companies have done: Rodelis Therapeutics, according to Scott Spencer, general manager of Rodelis...Cycloserine, a drug used to treat dangerous multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis...was acquired because "the company needed to invest to make sure the 'supply' of the drug remained reliable". Translation: Controlling the supply of Cycloserine from the rest of the market, and make it an exclusive "Specialty" drug. Their increase? $500 x30 Pills to $10,800. Another company, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, bought 2 Cardiopulmonary Meds from Marathon Pharm...Isuprel and Nitropress...and promptly raised their prices by 525% and 212% respectively. Also, Doxycycline, an antibiotic, went from $20 a Bottle in October 2013 to $1,849 by April 2014.
"Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under communism, it's just the opposite" ~~~ John Kenneth Galbraith
In every economic system, whether its Capitalism, Democratic Socialism, Marxist Socialism, Communism, or whatever!...man will always exploit their inhumanity towards another man...it's the degree of morality or immorality of the exploitation that keeps us from killing each other. But the exploitation of the Sick and the Poor, is the sickest immorality of an immoral society...so! speaking of immorality...what are the Politicos doing about it? I repeat, what are the Politicos doing about this problem??
What 'are' the Politicos doing about it?? How about trying to kill Obamacare!! Screw the Elderly and screw the Poor...they couldn't afford the Medications, anyhow!!
Oh! the Constitutional Rights for this! or the Constitutional Rights for that! what's Legal or how to make it Legal! Democracy and Free Enterprise!...as long as it's free for them. The rest of Society? Pay or die if can't afford it!
Another aspect of the Income Disparity in our country, today. It's not about the right to make money, but the immorality of how you make it...hording the Medicine as a privilege, like Nestle hording water because they consider safe drinking water a "Privilege"...is not going to prevent the Privileged from contracting Toxoplasmosis, just because you have the bucks to afford the Medicine...we're all made out of the same type of body parts, and we all eventually are going to die!!
Trying to extend your life and those who can afford it, over all others so you can all become human wrinkled prunes, is a pretty sad testament for your existence on this earth.
How morally wrong is what they're doing?? If you agree with them, nothing!...until it's your turn to get really sick, and you're flat broke! And if you have the money? you have no conscience to do anything constructive about it, anyhow! Does anybody care?...until someone says enough is enough and a national discourse to truly regulate the Pharmaceutical Industry, takes place. Until then, sit and wait!
Republicans? They want to abolish Obamacare, anyhow!...to them, if you can't even afford Medical Assistance, how are you going to get those pricey drugs?? It's not their problem...one less person in the 99% of this country that has to be fed and kept alive...it's how they look at life! Whether they succeed or not, it's in how much this Nation is willing to do about Medicine, Ethics, and the riches of Capitalism ...in an apathetic nation? Absolutely Nothing! Of course, that's what the GOP is counting on...and this nation hasn't let them down! Nothing will ever happen till Politics is removed from Medicine...and that's not going to happen till common sense and morality resurfaces in our American Dialogue!
Greedy Pharmaceutical CEO Raises Drug Price From $13.50 To $750, Just Because | Crooks and Liars
