Ex pharma sales rep Gwen Olsen says Big Pharma only interested in profits, not health

Originally posted by kro32
Yes alot of their products are addictive but that is a cost people must weigh with their doctor before taking the drugs. There are always other options.

In some cases they're worse than just being addictive and the fact is side effects with some drugs are never listed or are completely downplayed, which pure negligence on their part. And some doctors just tell patients what the drug companies want them to say in regards to side effects, etc.

Just look at the billion dollar scam industry that is known as the anti-depressant market. Some of these companies rebrand SSRI's (which studies have shown are not any better than placebo) when their patent runs out and sells them again under a new name so they can continue to make millions and millions of dollars off desperate people. And in the end most of these people are not better off (in some cases worse off).

Borderline evil, IMO.

I am glad you brought this back into the light, and for many it only confirms the suspicion. Tis another fine example of 'profits before people'
I did a thread on this a while back Here, for some more info. She was trained to misinform people and I have friends that are pharma reps and they can attest to this.

Adam Omkara: And you said you were actually trained to misinform people- Can you elaborate on that?

Gwen: Well, initially when you start pharmaceutical sales training you are taken into the home office for a sort of 'indoctrination' that's 2-6 weeks of intensive training. That's where the industry turns representatives into psychological profilers and people pleasers. The reps learn how to be people analyzers, so they know how to best influence people. We were taught in training sessions called 'knee to knees' and 'toe to toes' where you have a line of reps that play the doctor and opposing lines that play the rep position.

You have to learn verbatim the company's position and their marketing lines- you can't even vary from that. You practice and practice until it flows naturally and doesn't sound rehearsed.

I started recognizing really that I was being trained to divert doctor's attention away from his/her concerns. So, I was learning to misinform and disinform- to counter the doctor's valid concerns. I wasn't trained to say "this drug is bad for that patient" or "watch out for this drug's interaction with that one." Any information perceived as a negative was always being candy coated.

In fact many times we would be called into a meeting when a new sales piece was being introduced. Managers would ask us questions on what aspects of the piece we received the most objections on. What were the parts that raised the most concern? After we gave the marketing department that feedback, the next period they would come up with a different layout that had manipulated and minimized the objectionable data. So, it was a constant set of circumstances where I began to see that I wasn't allowed to give good information and I wasn't given good information to share.

The industry knows that many of their drugs aren't safe and that they don't heal people. In fact, some drugs are designed to make symptoms worse later on.

When I started becoming pro-active and began to ask too many critically intelligent questions, management objected and discouraged me. I was frequently met with answers such as "We do it that way because we can", or "We sell more pills that way."

It was apparent my inquiries were not welcomed!

It was almost like being in the military, in fact, many of my ex-managers had been in the military. Many are hired because they have great work ethics and they don't ask a lot of questions. Military personnel are used to working on a 'need to know' basis.

Wow, confirmation on what so many suspect. I have several friends that are pharma reps, and only 2 of them have ever spoken against their co's, and it was in regard to medicating our children. But the others get really nervous when talking about any injustices, as if they are trying really hard to pretend/deny any wrong doing. One of them told me he could not believe how excited some of his doctor's get over the 100 dollar bonus for trying out new drugs. He said many of them don't even want to hear the spiel, just drop em off and leave em' a check. Here is some more:

Washington D.C., March 27, 2011 - Pharmaceuticals are a $650 plus billion dollar a year industry. For years the most profitable business in the U.S. has been the pharmaceutical corporations, which routinely top the annual fortune 500 list. Doctor prescribed drugs support an industry which out-earns the GNP of many nations.

A core attribute to big Pharma's overwhelming 'success' lays in the liaison between the corporations and the 'symptoms management' health care industry: The pharmaceutical representative. The men and women we see meeting with physicians, walking into offices with gifts of lunch for the staff, meeting with the doctor while you wait for our appointment.

Gwen Olsen was a top level pharmaceutical rep for some of the biggest in the industry: Johnson & Johnson, Syntex Labs, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Abbott Laboratories and Forest Laboratories.

Through some chilling wake up calls in her tenure, and the tragic drug-related death of her niece, Gwen has dedicated her life to making people aware of the dangers of prescription drugs and how the drug industry manipulates doctors into prescribing, and over prescribing, their drugs.

She is exposing the dark, deep-rooted deception and corruption that is prevalent in this industry.

Gwen Olsens words are powerful. Her message absolutely frightening. Below is a transcript of our conversation as well as a video of Gwen speaking out, including her appearance on a CBS Evening News Eye On Your Children news segment.

Source



I will also include a link for the story about the largest Pharma lawsuit in history, for the sake of interest:
www.justicenewsflash.com...

Here is a complete list of the lawsuits invovlving Big Pharma: Very Interesting....
HERE

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Ya, see, I have NEVER worked for the big pharm for one day, and already I know that it is all bull and just about pushing drugs no matter what, along with the lieing/deception, poisoning, torture, getting small children addicted to freaking meth (ritalin, adderol, ) Stupied pathetic lumps pretending to be doctors (just some, by far not all and have had my life and my wifes life saved by a lady in a white suit, I do have more respect for surgeons than for alot of people in this world and what they do is absolutely amazing, but still there are alot of doctors like this) that don't give a rats butt about you or your health or even listen to you. It is only about $$$. And I don't need to go work for 15 years. And neither does anybody on here. So I guess she is just gonna go about making so much money all her life participating in this scheme supposedly, and then write a book about it and make some more money. ... If she REALLY wanted to do something good (instead of make money for herself and feel like shes doing something to make her conscience not choke her in her sleep) she should of tryed to get some kind of proof of them hiding deadly side effects, or pushing unessasary harmful medication on the public threw our medicare system, exc exc, something to pin someone to a wall, send some people to jail, not this rubbish,.. On the other hand, if her book is any good, I might just take back my snooty attitude towards her.

I have been trying to tell people this for years.

I feel that I am the only one that thinks that huge profits and people responsible for your health is a huge conflict of interest.

Big pharma deliberately uses their products to make you sick in the future, so you (and your wallet) will keep returning to them. They even admit it.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/0a83e7d37e1f.jpg[/atsimg]

Apparently this means "combatting one toxin with another". Which backs up what I just said.

Snake oil, anyone?

Originally posted by kro32
I agree that they have aquired much too power and are very inefficient at alot of things. Heavy regulation is required in my opinion. Not arguing any of this at all.

I'm only stating that their purpose is not the welfare of the people though it is in their best interest to create effective drugs once they have marketable products I do not expect them to keep pushing for cures. There are other people who decide to pursue that course.

The only reason big pharma try's to solve medical problems is to lock down the patents to increase their profit.

their best interest is to create expensive drugs that aren't wholly effective. take chemo therapy for instance. the FDA and big pharma have worked to suppress research for other cures that work better with little side effects that are much cheaper.

the better and cheaper drugs are, the less money they make. how much money do you think they make treating AIDS? if there was one pill that cost 5 bucks that would cure it, they would lose millions. so suppressing cheap effective medicine makes them more money.

Originally posted by goldentorch
Recent shootings linked to prescription drugs.

...Hawkins’ friend told CNN that the gunman was on antidepressants...18-year-old Jason Hoffman, on the antidepressants Celexa and Effexor, opened fire on his classmates...14-year-old Elizabeth Bush was taking the antidepressant Prozac when she shot at fellow students, wounding one...15-year-old T.J. Solomon was being treated with antidepressants when he opened fire on and wounded six of his classmates...18-year-old Eric Harris and his accomplice, Dylan Klebold, killed 12 students and a teacher and wounded 26 others before killing themselves. Harris was on the antidepressant Luvox...15-year-old Shawn Cooper fired two shotgun rounds in his school, narrowly missing students. He was taking a prescribed SSRI antidepressant and Ritalin...15-year-old Kip Kinkel murdered his parents and then proceeded to school where he opened fire on students in the cafeteria, killing two and wounding 22. Kinkel had been taking the antidepressant Prozac.

Project Monarch, anyone?

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/237ce0206a32.jpg[/atsimg]

A point that needs to be made is the usage of the word 'depression' that has become so diluted that anyone with a completely natural downer for whatever existential reason is prescribed these drugs. Depression is an utterly debilitating mental health problem that some new fancy diet won't fix.

The pharmaceutical industry itself could come out themselves and admit they dont give a # that they are feeding people pills that are killing them (except for as few) and people will still eat that crap and beleive their doctor is a god...

A close personal friend of mine who was good laboratory practices czar for Bristol Meyers and later owned his own drug testing laboratory doing studies for every major drug company told me:

"Any therapy no matter how effective will be suppressed by the drug companies if they cannot profit from it"

They engage in active suppression of therapies and smear campaigns against those who promote them. It is more that just "interest in profits" it is as far as I am concerned downright criminal!

For all of those who keep on claiming that "everyone" knows is just utter trash. If everyone did know, you think big pharma would be still in business? You go out and ask anyone, just anyone on the street. Do you think the American Health Department is doing a good job in keeping its people safe and healthy? I bet 99.9% will proudly say YES along with a YEAH GO AMERICA WOOT WOOT.

Sometimes the only way to take them down is from within. She should stay safe before some accident happens or they use her head to escape blame and let the public have their way with the supposed problem, her.

The system is bloody obvious but it's like people think that because someone holds a college degree or made a research paper that somehow means that they're more caring and humane...

Now only for the education industry, the actuarial industry, and the banking industry.

It's simple, with all these drugs available. Is our society happier than ever? No.

Now why is that? Cause they don't work!!!!!

reply to post by NuclearPaul


i don't really think the drugs made them do it. it was more a way to get back at the kids that caused them so much pain. it wasn't right, but people are cruel.

there was an article on ATS where a little girl literally died in her father's arms because she was so sad. bullying was the cause. emotional pain is much worse than physical pain, yet the only one people are allowed to react to is physical pain.

again. i'm not justifying their actions, but if their classmates caused them extreme pain through bullying, i can't blame them for acting as they did.

Top lobbyist spenders ranked by industry



Need I say more?

Source: opensecrets.org

How is this "breaking news"? I figured that was a given obvious...

Aside from Porn, Prescription drugs is the most profitable industry in the world...
They don't want to cure people... Healthy people don't make them money.

reply to post by Mdv2


I'm stunned that anyone who visits ATS would still need evidence of the bloody obvious.
Big Pharma has been the number one cause of death in the western world for many years now.
Do people still really not recognise this as self-evident?

reply to post by RogerT


You are stunned? We are seen as a bunch of tinfoil hat idiots and therefore it's good to be proven right every now and then, especially because most conspiracies always remain so.

Some of the most deadly diseases are being cured by the patients themselves using alternative and natural means. There are a number of natural treatments available for things like MS, CHD, AIDS, HIV, Cancer, Depression, Alzhiemers, etc. Unfortunately, the government suppresses it and the MSM makes it look like quackery so that big pharma can keep pushing it's pills. Some examples are:

Weston A. Price
Coconut Oil
Hydrogen Peroxide
Oil Pulling

These are just a sample of what's out there as viable alternative and natural treatments for many of today's ailments. Personally, I think it is most likely our diets that contribute to our modern medical conditions. I personally use the Coconut Oil and Oil Pulling therapies myself.

reply to post by Mdv2


Where's the conspiracy?
Big pharma companies are all public companies whose primary responsibility is to make a profit for shareholders.
Doctors and their ilk are amongst the most affluent members of the community generally. Drugs are patented and protected which is purely a profit protection mechanism. 60% of bankruptcies in the US are precipitated by unaffordable medical bills.
It's not as if anyone has to look very hard to see the money/medicine connection - it's pretty much in your face the instant you initiate an encounter with a member of the white coat fraternity.
To be a conspiracy, there has to be something hidden or at least some element of subterfuge doesn't there?