10 Biggest Lies Drug Companies Tell You
Doped Up
Big Pharma means big business. When prescription drug companies offer you the latest pill or powder, keep your hand on your wallet. For these companies, the bottom line isn't your health, it's their profit.
In 2006, the combined profit margin of the top twenty pharmaceutical companies was $110 billion. Together, Big Pharma earns more per year than Morocco and 120 other countries. With that much money and power in the hands of a small number of people, you are right to assume that something is going on behind closed doors. The pharmaceutical industry is notoriously secretive and routinely denies allegations of wrongdoing.
Therefore, at this point, these conspiracy theories are just that – theories.
1. Female Sexual Arousal Disorder
In 1998, Pfizer was applauded by men everywhere when it introduced Sildenafil, the drug used to treat erectile dysfunction. More commonly known as Viagra, this little blue pill has earned its parent company at least $1.6 billion per year in profits ever since. Everything seemed great – men could enjoy their time in the bedroom and Pfizer could profit off of it.
Then Big Pharma decided to heed the words of Abigail Adams and "remember the ladies" – thus was born Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSD). Officially diagnosed by the American Psychiatric Association in 1994, FSD is a condition which prevents women from being aroused and/or achieving orgasm. According to an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association, 43% of women have FSD. The accuracy of this study is in doubt, however, as one of the authors, Edward O. Laumann, had financial ties to Pfizer at the time of the article's publication. (Pfizer did not respond to our request for comment.)
Pharmaceutical treatments for FSD are being developed by several of Big Pharma's biggest players. While some treatments for this condition include couples counseling, Trinity Partners, a sciences consulting firm, says that if a pharmaceutical treatment could be successfully marketed, the industry could earn a profit to the tune of $4 billion.
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[ Jesse Ventura's Take ]
Marijuana should be treated the same as alcohol and tobacco. Keeping something illegal it isn't going to make it go away. Marijuana is the most harmless drug out there. The only reason that it is illegal is because it is so easy to grow. The government couldn't make money off marijuana because if they legalized it there would be no way to tax it.
[ Chapters ]
Watch "Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura." You won't believe what you don't know.
