The pharmaceutical industry can normally be seen as a positive thing because of the goods they produce. They yield medication aiding individuals escape the sick role, and fulfill their social roles. However, the way they operate does not stem for the good of the people, but rather to gain profit.
To begin with, pharmaceutical companies are incapable of operating without medical experts like doctors, nurse practitioner, and so forth, because they hold the power to prescribe drugs (Oldani, 2004, 329). When a doctor gives their patient a prescription, they buy the drug provided, thus making sale, meaning that the more drugs prescribed, the more sales occur leading to an increased amount of profit (Oldani, 2004, 331-334). Therefore, the process …show more content…
In fact some drugs are unnecessary and harmful to the human condition (Armstrong & Armstrong, 2003, 35). For instance, Kravitz’s study used actors to pretend to have depression and 76% of the time, physicians would give them a prescription. Moreover, everything is done through the assumptions rather than empirical evidence (Armstrong & Armstrong, 2003, 36). The use of drugs as cure has been internalized to the point that there is little to no evidence supporting the fact that it actually works (Armstrong & Armstrong, 2003, 37). That being said, the more people utilize drugs the more it is encouraged (Armstrong & Armstrong, 2003, 37). The pressure to produce and formulate a cure leads to society promoting drugs rather than alternative medication, which may not have an effect as strong as a drug, but it would be much safer for individuals to use (Armstrong & Armstrong, 2003, 37). Therefore, the pharmaceutical company may think they are doing something good for humanity, when in fact they are no different than any other enterprises fortunate enough to have no competition. As David Healy states, “[pharmaceutical companies] are changing the experience of being human” (Moynihan & Scott,
To begin with, pharmaceutical companies are incapable of operating without medical experts like doctors, nurse practitioner, and so forth, because they hold the power to prescribe drugs (Oldani, 2004, 329). When a doctor gives their patient a prescription, they buy the drug provided, thus making sale, meaning that the more drugs prescribed, the more sales occur leading to an increased amount of profit (Oldani, 2004, 331-334). Therefore, the process …show more content…
In fact some drugs are unnecessary and harmful to the human condition (Armstrong & Armstrong, 2003, 35). For instance, Kravitz’s study used actors to pretend to have depression and 76% of the time, physicians would give them a prescription. Moreover, everything is done through the assumptions rather than empirical evidence (Armstrong & Armstrong, 2003, 36). The use of drugs as cure has been internalized to the point that there is little to no evidence supporting the fact that it actually works (Armstrong & Armstrong, 2003, 37). That being said, the more people utilize drugs the more it is encouraged (Armstrong & Armstrong, 2003, 37). The pressure to produce and formulate a cure leads to society promoting drugs rather than alternative medication, which may not have an effect as strong as a drug, but it would be much safer for individuals to use (Armstrong & Armstrong, 2003, 37). Therefore, the pharmaceutical company may think they are doing something good for humanity, when in fact they are no different than any other enterprises fortunate enough to have no competition. As David Healy states, “[pharmaceutical companies] are changing the experience of being human” (Moynihan & Scott,