Drugs for Life: How Pharmaceutical Companies Define Our Health (Experimental Futures)

Every year the average number of prescriptions purchased by Americans increases, as do healthcare expenditures, which are projected to reach one-fifth of the U.S. gross domestic product by 2020. In Drugs for Life , Joseph Dumit considers how our burgeoning consumption of medicine and cost of healthcare not only came to be, but also came to be taken for granted. For several years, Dumit attended pharmaceutical industry conferences; spoke with marketers, researchers, doctors, and patients; and surveyed the industry's literature regarding strategies to expand markets for prescription drugs. He concluded that underlying the continual growth in medications, disease categories, costs, and insecurity is a relatively new perception of ourselves as inherently ill and in need of chronic treatment. This perception is based on clinical trials that we have largely outsourced to pharmaceutical companies. Those companies in turn see clinical trials as investments and measure the value of those investments by the size of the market and profits that they will create. They only ask questions for which the answer is more medicine. Drugs for Life challenges our understanding of health, risks, facts, and clinical trials, the very concepts used by pharmaceutical companies to grow markets to the point where almost no one can imagine a life without prescription drugs. Every Year The Average Number Of Prescriptions Purchased By Americans Increases, As Do Healthcare Expenditures, Which Are Projected To Reach One Fifth Of The U.s. Gross Domestic Product By 2020. In Drugs For Life, Joseph Dumit Considers How Our Burgeoning Consumption Of Medicine And Cost Of Healthcare Not Only Came To Be, But Came To Be Taken For Granted. For Several Years, Dumit Attended Pharmaceutical Industry Conferences; Spoke With Marketers, Researchers, Doctors, And Patients; And Surveyed The Industry's Literature Regarding Strategies To Expand Markets For Prescription Drugs. He Concluded That Underlying The Continual Growth In Medications, Disease Categories, Costs, And Insecurity Is A Relatively New Perception Of Ourselves As Inherently Ill And In Need Of Chronic Treatment. This Perception Is Based On Clinical Trials That We Have Largely Outsourced To Pharmaceutical Companies. Those Companies In Turn See Clinical Trials As Investments And Measure The Value Of Those Investments By The Size Of The Market They Will Create. They Only Ask Questions For Which The Answer Is More Medicine. Drugs For Life Challenges Our Understanding Of Health, Risks, Facts, And Clinical Trials, The Very Concepts Used By Pharmaceutical Companies To Grow Markets To The Point Where Almost No One Can Imagine A Life Without Prescription Drugs.--provided By Publisher. Responding To Facts -- Pharmaceutical Witnessing And Direct-to-consumer Advertising -- Having To Grow Medicine -- Mass Health : Illness Is A Line You Cross -- Moving The Lines : Deciding On Thresholds -- Knowing Your Numbers : Pharmaceutical Lifestyles. Joseph Dumit. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Tots els anys, el nombre mitjà de prescripcions comprades pels nord-americans augmenta, igual que les despeses de salut, que s'espera arriben a la cinquena part del producte intern brut dels EUA el 2020. En Fàrmacs per a la Vida, Joseph Dumit considera com el nostre creixent consum de medicaments i el cost de l'atenció mèdica no només va arribar a ser, sinó va arribar a donar-se per fet. Des de fa diversos anys, Dumit va assistir a conferències de la indústria farmacèutica, va parlar amb els venedors, investigadors, metges i pacients, i va examinar la literatura de la indústria en relació amb les estratègies per ampliar els mercats dels medicaments receptats. Va concloure que per sota del creixement continu de medicació, les categories de malalties, els costos i la inseguretat, hi ha una relativament nova percepció de nosaltres mateixos com a intrínsecament malalts i amb necessitat de tractament crònic . Aquesta percepció es basa en els assajos clínics, que tenim en gran mesura subcontractats amb empreses farmacèutiques. Les empreses, al seu torn, veuen els assajos clínics com a inversions i mesurar el valor d'aquestes inversions per la grandària del mercat que es crearà . Ells només fan les preguntes la resposta de les quals és més medicament. Fàrmacs per a la vida desafia la nostra comprensió de la salut, els riscos, els fets, i els assaigs clínics, els mateixos conceptes utilitzats per les companyies farmacèutiques per créixer als mercats fins al punt en què gairebé ningú pot imaginar una vida sense medicaments."--Proveït per l'editor (trad. del catalogador) Every year the average number of prescriptions purchased by Americans increases, as healthcare expenditures, which are projected to reach one-fifth of the U.S. gross domestic product by 2020. In Drugs for Life, Joseph Dumit considers how our burgeoning consumption of medicine and cost of healthcare not only came to be, but also came to be taken for granted. For several years, Dumit attended pharmaceutical industry conferences; spoke with marketers, researchers, doctors, and patients; and surveyed the industry's literature regarding strategies to expand markets for prescription drugs. He concluded that underlying the continual growth in medications, disease categories, costs, and insecurity is a relatively new perception of ourselves as inherently ill and in need of chronic treatment. This perception is based on clinical trials that we have largely outsourced to pharmaceutical companies. Those companies in turn see clinical trials as investments and measure the value of those investments by the size of the market and profits that they will create. They only ask questions for which the answer is more medicine. Book jacket Acknowledgments ix List of Illustrations xi Introduction 1 1. Responding to Facts 27 2. Pharmaceutical Witnessing and Direct-to-Consumer Advertising 55 3. Having to Grow Medicine 87 4. Mass Health: Illness Is a Line You Cross 105 5. Moving the Lines: Deciding on Thresholds 135 6. Knowing Your Numbers: Pharmaceutical Lifestyles 181 Conclusion. Living in a World of Surplus Health: Frequently Asked Questions 197 Notes 219 References 239 Index 257 Joseph Dumit argues that underlying Americans' burgeoning consumption of prescription drugs and the skyrocketing cost of healthcare is a relatively new perception of ourselves as inherently ill and in need of chronic treatment