The Pharmaceutical Industry by Sedulous Des

ecstaticdes — 2022-04-26 15:50:39 UTC

Individuals relied on themselves to remain mentally active and socially engaged.

ecstaticdes — 2022-04-26 16:15:30 UTC

The method of communication was rotary dial or landline telephone.

ecstaticdes — 2022-04-26 16:16:55 UTC

Before video games, kids played outside from sunup to sundown and parents trusted them to return home.

ecstaticdes — 2022-04-26 16:26:49 UTC

The television displayed in black and white and other indoor activities included Jacks, Paper dolls, Go Fish, Sorry!, and Operation.

ecstaticdes — 2022-04-26 16:31:39 UTC

No distractions such as electronics during dinner time.

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ecstaticdes — 2022-04-29 17:42:37 UTC

Early Chinese, Hindu, and Mediterranean civilizations created medicine from plants, animals, and minerals

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ecstaticdes — 2022-04-29 17:58:16 UTC

Shennong (the Divine Farmer) invented the acupuncture technique, developed herbal medicine and classified over 365 different medicinal plants and herbs. Circa 2800 B.C.

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ecstaticdes — 2022-04-29 18:02:48 UTC

In Ancient Greece, Hippocrates (c. 460 B.C) applied rationality and logic to the practice of medicine and believed sickness was caused by how the individual lived rather than some divine punishment

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ecstaticdes — 2022-04-29 18:18:04 UTC

Greek Physician Galen (c. 129 A.D) made remarkable contributions to the study of human anatomy and believed "For optimum health... exercise, a balanced diet, good hygiene, and bathing" were essential

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-02 17:45:59 UTC

Records of people during the medieval period using herbs for supposed healing purposes. Some indeed had healing purposes and are still used today

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-02 17:56:10 UTC

Merck started as a minor apothecary shop for 150 years until Emmanuel Merck began manufacturing and selling alkaloids in 1827

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-02 18:01:11 UTC

Pfizer was founded in 1849 as a fine chemical business, however during the American Civil War, demand for painkillers and antiseptics were high and Pfizer briskly expanded by filling that void

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-02 18:07:28 UTC

During the interlude between the World Wars, Insulin and Penicillin was invented and was mass produced during World War 2 by Pfizer, Squibb and Merck

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-02 18:11:33 UTC

Post World War 2- pharmaceutical companies grew increasingly wealthy thanks to government subsidiaries and their products

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-02 18:15:34 UTC

In 1961, the Thalidomide scandal caused an increase in regulations and testing before licensing and forced manufacturers to disclose any potential side effects

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-03 15:49:38 UTC

Persian physician, Rhazes (865- 923 A.D) identifies the disease Smallpox and suggest it's caused due to an infection in the blood. He's credited with the invention of ethanol and sulfuric acid and revolutionized how diseases were diagnosed

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-03 16:00:07 UTC

Zacharias Janssen invents the compound microscope (c. 1590)

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-03 16:02:37 UTC

1796- Edward Jenner introduces the first vaccine for Smallpox. Since the discovery, similar concepts has been used to make other vaccines for Tuberculosis and Cholera

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-03 16:04:05 UTC

Rene Lannaec invents the stethoscope (c. 1816)

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-03 16:07:54 UTC

In 1846, William Morton successfully uses the anaesthetic- ether during surgery. Following the discovery, humanity has frequently used anaesthesia for painless surgeries

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-03 16:14:02 UTC

French microbiologist Louis Pasteur discovers that infectious diseases were caused by pathogens, revolutionizing how diseases were treated, controlled, and prevented c. 1861

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-03 16:19:27 UTC

German physicist Wilhelm Rӧntgen accidentally invents the x-ray, c. 1895

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-03 16:27:42 UTC

In 1928 following the invention of Penicillin by Alexander Flemming, other antibiotics were introduced, saving many lives

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-03 16:29:55 UTC

The first successful organ transplant operation was carried out by Dr. Joseph Murray and David Hume in 1954

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-03 16:34:15 UTC

In the 1960s, the research regarding antiviral drugs skyrocketed and improved significantly. This resulted in the blockage of the reproduction of viral diseases such as AIDS/ HIV and Ebola

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-04 21:33:23 UTC

1977- Dr. Raymond Damadian successfully completed the first cross-sectional image of a human, leading to the invention of the MRI machine

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-05 19:37:57 UTC

The Pharmaceutical industry generated over 1.3 trillion dollars in 2021 and six of the top 10 wealthiest companies have their headquarters stationed in the U.S. These include Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Merck, and AbbVie

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-05 19:45:02 UTC

The industry has a terrible reputation and has been involved with many controversies, from fraud to bribery and lawsuits

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-05 19:46:59 UTC

Big Pharma (A conglomerate of companies in the Pharmaceutical industry) is responsible for 2/3 of the Food and Drug Administration's budget

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-05 19:51:02 UTC

In 2017, 1378 lobbyists were hired and from 1998 to 2016, over 3.5 billion was spent on lobbying, more than the defence and corporate business industry combined

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-05 19:54:45 UTC

A study done, found that for every $1 spent on research, $19 was spent on advertising

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-05 20:01:15 UTC

The first pharmacopeia is published by Greek botanist and physician Dioscorides, titled "De Materia Medica (c. 50 A.D.)

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-05 20:14:11 UTC

The structure of the Pharmaceutical industry is similar to an iceberg. Research based companies such as AstraZenneca, Pfizer and Merck represents 40% of the industry. The "generic companies" represents >90% of the total companies and are responsible for the production of medication

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-05 20:17:24 UTC

Patents are valuable to companies as it gives them the exclusive rights to manufacture and sell a drug, however after the duration of the patent expires, others are eligible to also manufacture and sell the drug

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-05 20:22:51 UTC

After the expiration of the patent, the medication is deemed "generic", thus the term "generic pharmaceutical" companies is coined. "Generic pharmaceutical" companies are low cost, low risk, and tend to save money on advertising, since the drug has already been promoted

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-06 18:12:20 UTC

The succession rate for developing a drug that can be sold in the pharmacy is <1%. This rate is decreasing as regulations continue to increase

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 17:44:38 UTC

The advancements of treatments for illnesses has significantly contributed to the increase in life expectancy. In 1900, the average life expectancy in the world was 32 years, while in 2019, it was 73 years

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 17:50:55 UTC

Smallpox- Responsible for the deaths of Pharaohs and between 300-500 million during the 20th century was officially eradicated in 1979 following a global vaccination effort

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 18:06:04 UTC

Only 2 disease in the history of mankind has been declared fully eradicated- Smallpox and Rinderpest. 7 other disease are close to eradication, including: measles, rubella, polio, guinea worm and lymphatic filariasis

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 18:16:19 UTC

Pharmaceuticals such as painkillers have been used to relieve pain, symptoms, or side effects. This has improved quality of life significantly as a study done by the World Health Organization (WHO) discovered that individuals who live with pain are four times more likely to develop depression and anxiety

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 18:19:39 UTC

With the advent of vaccines, healthcare spending has decreased and productivity has increased, impacting the economy. A study done by the WHO found that for every $1 spent on child vaccinations, $10 is saved from future treatments of diseases

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 18:22:36 UTC

As pharmaceutical technology advance and the access to medicine is easier, the length of hospital stays decrease, reducing pressure on the healthcare system. In 1950 the average stay in the hospital was 8 days, in 2020, it is 4-5 days

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 18:33:36 UTC

The pharmaceutical industry employs over 0.9% of the European Union's workforce and contributes to over 1.4% of its GDP

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 18:42:20 UTC

The implementation of clean water has saved billions of lives- from deadly water-borne diseases such as cholera and other infectious diseases that would target young infants. In the 1900s 25% of infants would die before the age of one, in 2020, the mortality rate dropped to approximately 0.03%

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 18:49:32 UTC

X-rays have saved millions of lives by diagnosing problems within patients from lung and heart problems to bone fractures and cancer. Since Röntgen's discovery, investigators discovered that x-rays could be used to kill cancer cells or shrink inoperable tumors

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 19:16:24 UTC

In the 1900s, industries became industrialized and many work-related diseases were prevalent such as dermatitis and lung disease. Cities began to expand rapidly, resulting in diseases such as Typhus and Cholera becoming more prevalent. Doctors began experimenting with hygienics and antiseptics to treat and prevent infectious diseases

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 19:21:34 UTC

Advancements in the field of medicine resulted in people demanding that health was a human right. It was finally recognized in the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 19:41:23 UTC

In the Medieval and Renaissance Ages, there were no services for healthcare, and education regarding the topic as scarce- today we have universal healthcare, myriads of professionals in the medical field and many prestigious institutions offering medicinal knowledge and research

ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 19:53:20 UTC

The Church was very influential in the supposed curation of sicknesses as people practiced penance and prayed, hoping for a cure. In our modern society, people rely on the advice and prescription our doctors give

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 20:31:44 UTC

Many ancient techniques remain in practice today and are proven to have benefits. These include leeching "bloodletting" (use of leeches to rid people of "humors", which supposedly made people sick), electroconvulsive therapy (controversial and was utilized by the Romans) and transsphenoidal surgery (common treatment for pituitary tumor, and a technique used by ancient Egyptians to mummify corpses)

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 20:46:00 UTC

Traditional Chinese medicine such as acupuncture was believed to help improve the flow of Qi. Today, acupuncture has many practitioners within China and even around the lower mainland area

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 21:35:27 UTC

The use of herbs in medicine has been documented since humanity's first civilization, the Sumerians, over 5000 years ago. Many modern medication are created using plants and supplements can come in the form of dried, chopped or powdered

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 21:49:58 UTC

Many medicinal plants used to treat ailments are still used across the world. The Indigenous people of Canada used Yarrow to cure coughing, sores, vomiting, nausea, cold and cramps

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 22:25:39 UTC

In the medieval ages, Christianity played a huge factor in the establishment of the hospital because they hosted indiscriminate personalized care to their patients and since, hospitals have maintained that integrity by caring for everyone

ecstaticdes — 2022-05-07 23:53:30 UTC

Without Edward Jenner's invention of the vaccine, many people, myself included, could potentially die from a manifold of deadly diseases such as tuberculosis, smallpox, tetanus/lockjaw and other preventable diseases.

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-08 00:17:18 UTC

The modern pharmaceutical industry began as small apothecary shops distributing and manufacturing drugs such as morphine and quinine in the 19th century

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-08 00:27:16 UTC

The emergence of modern pharmaceutical giants such as Merck, Eli Lilly, Pfizer and Squibb coincided with the rise of pharmaceutical chemistry

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-08 00:56:24 UTC

Pharmaceutical firms cooperated with academic labs to research a way to kill bacteria or other invasive microbes using synthetic chemicals. This idea was first postulated in 1906 by German Nobel-prize winner and physician, Paul Ehrlich

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-08 01:04:38 UTC

This led to the discovery of N-acetyl-p-aminophenol, an ingredient in Tylenol, aspirin, and the vaccines for diphtheria and tetanus

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-08 01:07:40 UTC

The demand for medicine to treat pain, infectious diseases, heart conditions, and other ailments were high

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-08 03:01:27 UTC

As more potent drugs were manufactured and distributed, the pharmaceutical preparation shifted from the drugstore to the factory. This lowered operational costs and smaller domestic companies were monopolized by foreign companies

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-08 03:08:31 UTC

An example of this was when pharmaceutical mogul Eli Lilly was tasked with the mass production of insulin in 1922

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-08 18:45:27 UTC

Food and beverages spoiled quickly and their shelf lives were quite short. Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhardt began to produce citric acid, making their business incredibly successful. Citric acid can be found in products from sodas and juices to candy and ice cream

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-08 18:52:32 UTC

World War 1 hampered the supply line of natural fruits. Pfizer decided to hire chemist James Currie, who successfully used the mold "Aspergillus niger" to produce citric acid

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-08 18:54:02 UTC

Pfizer sold the product to Coca-Cola to make their products refreshing and balanced

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 01:15:08 UTC

The belief at that time was that profit and research should not intertwine and “[0]nly from laboratories free from any relation with manufacturers that real pharmaceutical advances can be expected.” (AMA's Council on Pharmacy, 1915)

ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 02:38:38 UTC

Humanity was plagued with conflicts in the wake of the 20th century such as World War 1 (claimed over 16 million lives) and infectious diseases such as the Spanish Flu (estimated death toll is between 30-100 million), polio, smallpox, and syphilis

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 02:40:18 UTC

Eli Junior, grandson of pharmaceutical conglomerate Eli Lilly believed “Ideas don’t cure people. Drugs cure people. That’s why we must bring the research scientists and the drug manufacturers together.”( 1918)

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 02:49:27 UTC

New York governor Charles Evan Hughes's daughter, Elizabeth was diagnosed with diabetes. He was a close associate with John D. Rockefeller Jr., who made remarkable financial contributions to the University of Toronto, where insulin was invented. This connection allowed his daughter to be the third patient to be ever treated for diabetes

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 02:50:51 UTC

This established the precedent in which academic institutions were partnering with pharmaceutical companies to manufacture vast quantities of medicine

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 03:24:29 UTC

An investigation by the House Oversight Committee found that big pharma intentionally gouged the prices of drugs in the U.S and discounting that same drug else where (e.g. insulin in America is 8x more expensive than it is from Canada)

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 03:25:26 UTC

https://www.britannica.com/technology/pharmaceutical-industry/Transitions-in-drug-discovery

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 03:25:35 UTC

https://www.proclinical.com/blogs/2020-8/why-are-pharmaceutical-companies-important#:~:text=Pharmaceutical%20companies%20boost%20the%20global,asset%20to%20the%20global%20economy.

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 03:25:46 UTC

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/TenWays/story?id=3605442&page=1

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 03:25:54 UTC

https://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/6-ways-x-rays-have-helped-us/

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 03:26:00 UTC

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323538#infectious-diseases

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 03:26:08 UTC

https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/ancient-medical-treatments-still-used-today

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 03:26:15 UTC

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/herbal-medicine

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 03:26:24 UTC

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/native-medicines

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 03:26:30 UTC

https://pharmaphorum.com/r-d/a_history_of_the_pharmaceutical_industry/

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 03:26:36 UTC

https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/pharmaceutical-industry

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 03:26:42 UTC

https://lithub.com/a-brief-history-of-american-pharma-from-snake-oil-to-big-money/

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-09 03:27:07 UTC

https://www.arnoldventures.org/stories/congress-pharmas-price-gouging-is-purposeful

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:21:19 UTC

Some of my friends and loved ones would perish and my mental health would deteriorate along with many others. The productivity of society would plummet as many people would be stricken with illnesses or despondency

ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:21:31 UTC

Interactions with our friends would be seldom and different as we’d take more precautions (more severe than COVID-19) and avoid hotspots.

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:21:52 UTC

People infected would be stigmatized and when they die, (as evidenced during the Black Plague) would not receive proper burials, a breach of their faith and their culture. The poorer echelons of society would suffer the most, because the rich could flee and the poor typically live in a more condensed area where the disease can spread more easily

ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:21:56 UTC

As more people die, people because more desensitized to death and society will adjust by giving responsibilities to members in their community such as burying/cremating the dead

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:26:57 UTC

The many pioneers in the field of medicine had good intentions and intended to help treat patients using different medical techniques and medicine, however many pharmaceutical companies no longer follow the same principles and many have become increasingly greedy

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:27:18 UTC

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, many pharmaceutical companies such as BioNTech, Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca were tasked with developing vaccines, which was funded by $100 billion in public funding. Their intentions were to maximize profits and use public investments in exchange to develop a life saving drug to sell for an exorbitant of money and pay little tax

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:27:49 UTC

Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna have sold their vaccines up to 24 times the cost of production with some sources stating that the cost of producing one dose is as little as $1.20

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:27:55 UTC

These huge companies have created monopolies and many people in poorer countries have not yet been vaccinated. The vaccine helped lower the number of infections, however there still are many cases of COVID

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:28:19 UTC

Pharmaceutical products enter the environment sometime during their life-cycle, and by discharging antibiotics to the environment, this can inadvertently develop antibiotic-resistant pathogens, making diseases harder to treat

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:28:29 UTC

The factories that produce pharmaceutical ingredients often don’t clean up its production, which can significantly harm the environment by promoting the development of drug resistance and the animals living around that area, particularly fish

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:28:37 UTC

A study by the UK government found that 86% of fish are intersex due to pollution from ethinylestradiol, an ingredient used in the contraceptive pill

ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:36:40 UTC

Medicine has truly benefitted society beyond reasonable doubt. Life expectancy has increased, our quality of life increased and countless lives are saved every year due to medicine and other technologies such as MRI’s, X-rays and vaccines

ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:36:46 UTC

Although there are some risks and defects as evidenced in the Thalidomide scandal, as long as there is strict regulation on which drugs can be sold on the market, this calamity will not repeat again

ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:38:18 UTC

The work that pharmaceutical companies have done such as researching and manufacturing countless medical technologies benefitted society in the past century in aiding to the prosperity of mankind, however the impact of their presence has been detrimental as they prioritize profit over doing what’s right, and in doing so, hurt the financial state of the average consumer and their governments and the environment

ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:43:07 UTC

Every group in society from across the globe benefitted from medicine sometime in the previous thousand years, whether it is in the form of crushed herbs or vaccines

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:46:28 UTC

People living in poorer countries, especially those in the continent of Africa, lack proper medicine and have very minimal access to it

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:46:33 UTC

Every year, 1.6 million Africans succumb to malaria, tuberculosis and other H.I.V related diseases. These diseases are easily preventable/treated, however since only 2% of the drugs consumed are domestic, most drugs are imported internationally and are very expensive

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:50:20 UTC

The lack thereof medicine has catastrophic consequences. 50% of children under 5 die of pneumonia, diarrhea, measles, HIV, tuberculosis and malaria

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:50:26 UTC

In Zimbabwe nurses prescribe painkillers as “treat-all drugs” since most medicines are unavailable. Some Africans resort to ritual and herbal remedies due to difficulties in accessing medicine

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 03:50:30 UTC

Countries such as Ethiopia and Botswana began taking matters in their own hands and increased investment in the healthcare sector. Ethiopia has already reduced child mortality and are seeing a reduction in HIV related deaths

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 04:07:31 UTC

https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/bitstream/handle/10546/620547/bn-harmful-side-effects-pharma-180918-en.pdf;jsessionid=0CCF5BB28125D4E3FD7ED8FDCE15BFD4?sequence=1

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 04:07:38 UTC

https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/features/pharma-and-the-environment-pollution-trend/

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 04:07:46 UTC

https://www.oxfam.ca/news/pharmaceutical-companies-reaping-immoral-profits-from-covid-vaccines-yet-paying-low-tax-rates/

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ecstaticdes — 2022-05-16 04:07:54 UTC

https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/december-2016-march-2017/dying-lack-medicines