Talk:Big Pharma

I'm puzzled as to why this article does not take a more critical tone. Big Pharma is filled with a bunch of corrupt elitists, and it's killing people! Donald Trump has expended so much time and effort taking on Big Pharma, and populists on the left have also discussed lowering prescription drug prices, for example. But this article portrays Big Pharma as honourable people who have consistently saved lives. Could you please fix this article? Otherwise, I'm considering making another one, which is much more explicit about the horrible things Big Pharma has done and the need to counter their nefarious, corrupt actions. Jeez, I thought we could all agree that Big Pharma was bad... —The preceding unsigned comment was added by BernieandTrumpFan (talk)

Please tag your username. BethGoop (talk) 16:36, 27 August 2019 (EDT)

The article doesn't defend Big Pharma either. It notes its role in passing ObamaCare. In general, it's usually a good idea to use encyclopedic language even when discussing topics that are bad, since we're a conservative *encyclopedia*.

However, if you have some good examples (preferably using good sources) of the corruption and left-wing agenda of Big Pharma (which we know to be true), you are welcome to add them. --1990'sguy (talk) 16:40, 27 August 2019 (EDT)

I wonder if whoever wrote this article has seen the "Big Pharma conspiracy theory" article from Wikipedia! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Pharma_conspiracy_theory LOL! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by BernieandTrumpFan (talk)

The unfortunate fact of the matter is that people (or their insurance companies) will pay a great deal to maintain someone's health and well-being. Since the demand is extremely high, the cost can be extremely high. However, this financial incentive motivates pharmaceutical companies to come up with new ways (which they can patent) to treat diseases. This itself is good and bad...it encourages innovation, but it discourages the use of more simple, natural means. There is no money is proving (or disproving) that, for example, things like Vitamin D, Sodium Ascorbate (a form of Vitamin C), certain herbs (such as those in Essiac tea) and other simple and often natural things can cure cancer. These substances are cheap and cannot be patented. The FDA makes this even worse by making the cost of evaluation so outlandishly high...any product being approved must promise a substantial return on investment to be worth bothering with.

Insurance also may somewhat add to this problem, since patients do not typically see the full cost of their care. Health insurance insulates them from it, so they tend to make choices less based on cost.

Is it worth writing more on the topic? Yes, I think so. Just keep in mind that "Big Pharma" does contain plenty of good people trying to do the right thing...it's not like they are all trying to profiteer of the sickness and misery of others. However, there are also some greedy people in "Big Pharma" (especially at the top) and there are many people who are just struggling to trying to run a profitable business in the current regulatory and economic environment.

On top of it all, as 1990'sguy said, we are an encyclopedia. Trying to write in a more neutral tone, providing only sourced information without editorializing (when possible) is important.--DavidB4 ^(TALK) 17:32, 27 August 2019 (EDT)