The Google vs Big Pharma Case

The presumption here is that Google is going to be held liable for permitting ads to run from market-based drug sellers.

So now, Big Pharma wants to go after Google for allowing ads from suppliers of Generic Drugs. It isn't enough that we are forced to buy only what they say we can have.

It isn't enough that our right to Natural Medicines are disappearing and are being banned:
www.guardian.co.uk...

I am no friend of Google but when Big Pharma takes on this giant, there is going to be a huge trickle down to us. If Big Pharm wins, in essence we will not be able to buy less expensive drugs off the internet in the near future. So in this case, Go Google!

The American pharmaceutical system is a highly controlled apparatus for restricting access to much-needed drugs and violating the rights of those who want to purchase them. This has long been true.

lewrockwell.com...

Vast amounts of drugs that people should be permitted to purchase of their own free will are withheld from the market (of course, many others are outlawed). Instead, people who know what they need are forced first to fork over their money to a physician – who then gets overpaid by insurance – then part of the buck is passed to the over-trained checkout clerks at the pharmacy. We are all treated like babies in order to sustain and fund an industry filled with bamboozlers in white coats.

There are so many ways that this is wrong that one hardly knows where to begin. But let’s start with pharmaceutical prices, which continue to go through the roof and which are driving forward increased pressure for socialistic forms of cost spreading. Using the Internet, there are tens of thousands of companies that could immediately begin distributing name-brand drugs and also derivative products at a fraction of the price imposed today.

We all have stories to share about such things. A cream that is $100 one day is $5 after the drug enters the free market. A nasal spray that is $200 is suddenly $10 after it becomes part of the market. And so on. The term counterfeit should be reserved for fraud; it doesn’t apply to goods that are brought to market before a government-imposed embargo expires.

More here:

lewrockwell.com...


NEW:

Google doing its best against online pharma ads

www.medcitynews.com...

Looks like Google is preparing to pay up to $500 million to settle charges it accepted ads from ’rogue’ online pharmacies. From what I know of Google, they try very hard to keep this kind of junk off of AdWords. It’s not uncommon for Google to go too far, and keep legitimate sites from participating in AdWords for fear that they are rogue. I experienced this firsthand when I experimented with displaying Google AdWords on the RSS feed for the Health Business Blog, which is distributed through Google’s Feedburner. After a couple days I was booted out of the program for supposed suspicious activity and my appeal was rejected with no explanation. I’m just guessing that it had something to do with the fact that I talk about pharmaceuticals on the blog, but I don’t know for sure.

I believe there is more to the picture than what we are seeing:
150,000,000 Americans Classified as Mentally ILL for Profit
www.abovetopsecret.com...

From what I've read about this, it seems for as though Google Turned a blind eye to counterfeit and illicit drug companies that did not require prescriptions. In fact I think it was actually just "drug pushers" most likely overseas shell companies used to sucker in unwitting people. Either way its disgusting but I'm pretty sure its not about "Generic drug makers" getting pushed off the market its for more safety compliance. (Which is a joke...) Im not for either of them, but if this gets rid of my Free Viagra emails then I'm happy

EDIT:
Here's my information source...

The investigation, conducted with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, examined whether Google knowingly accepted ads from online pharmacies and turned a blind-eye to their alleged illicit activities, the Journal reported on Thursday.

It's unclear whether those online drugstores were alleged to have sold counterfeit or expired drugs, whether they didn't require a valid doctor's prescription, or both, the paper said.

MSNBC - Google close to settlement over drugstore ads

Originally posted by Fester1882
From what I've read about this, it seems for as though Google Turned a blind eye to counterfeit and illicit drug companies that did not require prescriptions. In fact I think it was actually just "drug pushers" most likely overseas shell companies used to sucker in unwitting people. Either way its disgusting but I'm pretty sure its not about "Generic drug makers" getting pushed off the market its for more safety compliance. (Which is a joke...) Im not for either of them, but if this gets rid of my Free Viagra emails then I'm happy

EDIT:
Here's my information source...

The investigation, conducted with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, examined whether Google knowingly accepted ads from online pharmacies and turned a blind-eye to their alleged illicit activities, the Journal reported on Thursday.

It's unclear whether those online drugstores were alleged to have sold counterfeit or expired drugs, whether they didn't require a valid doctor's prescription, or both, the paper said.

MSNBC - Google close to settlement over drugstore ads

edit on 16-5-2011 by Fester1882 because: Added source information

This quote sums it up for me:

What about the allegation that these are counterfeit drugs being sold? Well, it is seriously doubtful that if any consumer who is buying a prescription medicine from an online source is being defrauded; there is an understanding that the drug in question is most likely generic. Consumers have no problem with this, as the aisles of generics at the drug store suggest. What the government really means by counterfeit is that the generic drug is being introduced prior to the expiration of the patent that inflates prices as much as one hundred times.

I don't see this as a way to protect us from drug dealers but rather giving Big Pharm more control over what we buy and the prices.

I wish they would ban advertisements of the drugs on television.

Although I am predominantly opposed to pharma drugs, but I do concede to the fact that there are legitimate cases for such. That said, it should be up to the doctors and the doctors alone to determine which meds are suitable for the patient. Advertising on tv creates obstacles for the doctors in doing what may be best for the patient. It does not help matters when people fall for the adverts and then tell the doctor that a particular drug is what they need.

reply to post by jude11


Good point, I do agree with you on the fact that we should not be told where we can buy are medications from. I was personally on a SNRI for two years. It was not out of the patent stage and cost roughly $350 for a 90 day supply. (Which is nothing compared to cancer meds) Still drug patents only protect profits while people suffer as a result. I also love the claim by big pharma that dramatic prices are required to compensate for the "trials". Good post..

Originally posted by Skewed
I wish they would ban advertisements of the drugs on television.

Although I am predominantly opposed to pharma drugs, but I do concede to the fact that there are legitimate cases for such. That said, it should be up to the doctors and the doctors alone to determine which meds are suitable for the patient. Advertising on tv creates obstacles for the doctors in doing what may be best for the patient. It does not help matters when people fall for the adverts and then tell the doctor that a particular drug is what they need.

I agree except that the doctors getting kick-backs from Pharma to dole out the drugs is a major obstacle and arguably one of THE biggest problems with this.

See my other thread here:

150,000,000 Americans Classified as Mentally ILL for Profit

www.abovetopsecret.com...

Ever feel like the little guys running around trying not to get stepped on by Rhodan and Godzilla as they duke it out?



I'm rooting for google this time.

Originally posted by mydarkpassenger
Ever feel like the little guys running around trying not to get stepped on by Rhodan and Godzilla as they duke it out?

I'm rooting for google this time.

Kinda like an election here.

Just vote for the lesser of two evils. Sad to be at this point.

Hate Google so much but then...hate Big Pharma just 1% more and there ya go.

Just remember, Monsanto began as an offshoot of a pharma company, Novartis. Pills and poison.

I would wish Google would stand up to them, but those guys have a bottomless purse and it you open it, it is crawling with lawyers as bad as the cig companies used to use. I know, it takes just the right whistle-blower and the right cause to win. Let's hope Google has guts.

You cannot be serious. There are Big Pharma companies that do their dirty things - absolutely.
What it got to do with the fact that there are completely unregulated places on net selling completely unregulated medications to anyone without any concern for his/hers/it condition?
All medications are poisons ,just in low dosages. Buying unregulated and probably fake poison without any professional advise is suicidal. In my opinion.
So i 100% support the idea, does not really matter who it comes from. I would actually support going further and banning all commercials for medications since there is huuuge abuse and people who do not need to take poison in low dosage for minor problems when it does more harm then good - do, but then Big Pharma would probably object.
Generic medication is not some unknown mixture of powders compressed into tablet with form of original ,but medication that has the same form and dosage of active ingridient with proper tests showing that it got similar behavior and that has been approved by local health authority. Those come usually in different form of tablet by the way.
So what you buy from net might be cheaper. If it works the same - is a big question. And if it is not more harmful is an even bigger one.

Originally posted by ZeroKnowledge
You cannot be serious. There are Big Pharma companies that do their dirty things - absolutely.
What it got to do with the fact that there are completely unregulated places on net selling completely unregulated medications to anyone without any concern for his/hers/it

condition?
All medications are poisons ,just in low dosages. Buying unregulated and probably fake poison without any professional advise is suicidal. In my opinion.
So i 100% support the idea, does not really matter who it comes from. I would actually support going further and banning all commercials for medications since there is huuuge abuse and people who do not need to take poison in low dosage for minor problems when it does more harm then good - do, but then Big Pharma would probably object.
Generic medication is not some unknown mixture of powders compressed into tablet with form of original ,but medication that has the same form and dosage of active ingridient with proper tests showing that it got similar behavior and that has been approved by local health authority. Those come usually in different form of tablet by the way.
So what you buy from net might be cheaper. If it works the same - is a big question. And if it is not more harmful is an even bigger one.

Although I do agree with some of your points, the fact that it is Big Pharma and not some alphabet organization charged to look out for consumer safety, is the real issue.

Big Pharm is not trying to look out for our best interests but rather their stock holders in this case. And what about the precedence being set? What gives Pharma the right to do this and who gives them that right?

As mentioned, we lost the battle in the UK (soon to be here) in being that Natural Medicines are being outlawed. Is the a case of harm being done to us? No. It's money and control over what we do and put into our bodies.

As for the ads on tv, I absolutely agree but it will never be illegal because it's Pharma doing the advertising.