Is there ANY hope for modern medicine?

I started this thread to debate whether modern medicine is being undermined by unscrupulous investers/sponsors to the point where all the incredible research by scientists and the labour of well intentioned doctors is being thrown away or swept under the global pharmacist carpets..

It just seems that we hear of new cures/treatments drugs that we wait for endlessly while our loved ones die around us!!

When are these ''miracle'' cures actually going to be available?

Are they going to be sold to us at ridiculously high prices that the average guy cannot afford?

Are they going to be ''watered down affairs'' to make us spend continuously on a ''treatment'' rather than a cure?

Do ''cures'' actually surface and are they made available to us?

Are ''cures'' made available to the ''powers that be''?

Well, considering a "cure" was just developed and distributed pretty cheaply for HPV, I don't see why one would imagine all cures would only been sold to the wealthy...

The wealthy only constitute a small percentage of the population You would make more money selling a widely used, very cheap medication for a common disease. Why do you think there is so much research in cancer, the cold, flu vaccines, etc. ?

Mariella

Originally posted by bsl4doc
The wealthy only constitute a small percentage of the population You would make more money selling a widely used, very cheap medication for a common disease. Why do you think there is so much research in cancer, the cold, flu vaccines, etc. ?

Mariella

Thank you for your reply.This is exactly the strange point about this.. They could make so much money from selling the meds.But it seems so delayed on these exact conditions you mention.

My point is. When a researcher goes running to his bosses and shouts'' I,ve found the cure for cancer''.. Will it be allowed to surface when they have ALREADY been granted millions just to search for it..

I,m a firm believer that the doctors and researchers should be handsomely rewarded for their years of work and study.But also believe that medicine should NOT be allowed to be a profitable business.As this leads to scoundrels like Mister Rumsfeld making millions out of a relatively low risk health scare

If I invent the Airbag and make a milion out of the patent to protect peoples heads in a crash / Great thats OK>>>>>>>

If I invent a solution to be injected or infused into wounds caused by car crashes that protects the patients and stops them bleading internally. Why cant I make a million from that too ...

Healthcare is not just drug companies especially in the US .. HMOs insurance companies.
Insurance is paying for what you might need before you actually need it. It makes a profit or they wont take the risk.

Mariella can tell you more about the EU system in detail than I can but we have profits and a good system accessible to all..... Dont judge all meds or healthcare systems by the US.

As far as the EU goes, you'd be suprised how many patents they hold in this country.

I'm reminded of special I saw on a treatment option for cancer. A naturally occuring dye was injected into certain cancers (25% of the forms, I think), and this caused the immune system within the body to recognize the cells as invasive and the cancerous cells would then be eliminated.
I then get inundated with some Dam* search for a sponge-like jellyfish or some crap on the very bottom of the sea that costs millions in research and may take decades to find. I hear nothing else of the treatment option that seems effective.


[edit on 9/7/2006 by bothered]

Originally posted by AGENT_TMy point is. When a researcher goes running to his bosses and shouts'' I,ve found the cure for cancer''.. Will it be allowed to surface when they have ALREADY been granted millions just to search for it..

First...there's not just one type of cancer. And did you miss the recent (2003/2004) announcements that a sexually transmitted virus is responsible for some types of cancer (human papilloma virus) and that women are being encouraged to be vaccinated against this type of cancer?
www.dailymail.co.uk...

I,m a firm believer that the doctors and researchers should be handsomely rewarded for their years of work and study.But also believe that medicine should NOT be allowed to be a profitable business.As this leads to scoundrels like Mister Rumsfeld making millions out of a relatively low risk health scare

I tend to favor socialized medicine, myself.

Originally posted by Deharg
If I invent the Airbag and make a milion out of the patent to protect peoples heads in a crash / Great thats OK>>>>>>>

Yeah I get your point completely..
YES you should be able to make a buck from something you,ve invented ..
but when it comes down to the possibility that your invention won,t be released just because someone has invented this great new bandage that you can apply AFTER the accident...???

thats when the ethics come into play

Originally posted by Byrd First...there's not just one type of cancer. And did you miss the recent (2003/2004) announcements that a sexually transmitted virus is responsible for some types of cancer (human papilloma virus)

Ahem !!sorry Byrd but did you miss BSL4DOCS 2nd reply too lol

No offence

Again I think doctors and researchers should be given unlimited funds ...

but NO WAY should a politician be allowed in control of these developements ..
because then it,s almost certainly guaranteed thet corruption will influence the release/production of these meds

So totally agree my teeth ache.........

As you may have asumed ( correctly) this is my industry and the politicians can't leave it alone...