I am Big Pharma

[Flying minis]

Rant coming. . . .I have been inundated lately with posts / suggestions / ads about the evils of "Big Pharma" and/or advocating alternative "medicine". I have lately seen everything from "Big Pharma cares only about their own pocketbooks" to "Big Pharma has the cure for nearly all diseases, including cancer but won't share them because it's more profitable to sell the treatments." I used to let this go, shake it off, but I will not do so any longer. Big Pharma is not some mindless, self-sustaining monster. Big Pharma is hundreds of thousands of people, just like you. People who have friends and family members, or even themselves, who are battling all those horrible diseases that you say they have the cure for. You are insulting myself and every one of my colleagues and friends that work for Big Pharma by making the statements above. You are saying we are cold, heartless people who care more about our stock options than about our friends and families. You are saying that I would rather watch two of my sister-in-laws and my close friend who are all battling breast cancer go through this horrible fight than provide a cure for them, because I am protecting my company. You have no idea what my company and myself go through to provide safe and effective treatments for diseases, to try to help my friends and family, and yours, and people I have never and will never meet. You have no idea how regulated the industry is, how many hoops we have to jump through, and the trials and evaluations that have to be done to ensure you receive a safe and effective product - based on a risk based evaluation. Your alternative "medicines", your "supplements", your other therapies that NEVER have to go through any of this testing are accepted as "safe" and "effective" with no question. Don't you think the companies making those are also motivated by the almighy dollar? No, apparently those companies are completely philanthropic. I will no longer stay silent and just put up with this. I am proud of my work, my colleagues, and my company. If this offends you, I DO NOT APOLOGIZE. Unfriend me. Whatever you think of Big Pharma, you think of me and hundreds of thousands of people like me. I AM BIG PHARMA, and I am not ashamed of it.


Comparison on "big bad Pharma" - Dan Vasella, Chairman of the board Novartis, net income (including stock options) 3.5B Swiss Francs (approx 4M dollars). Responsible for a multi-billion dollar company, and nearly 100,000 employees.
Michael Vick salary 2010, 5.25M dollars. Former animal abuser, no company with revenue to society or stockholders.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/05/dangerous-supplements/index.htm

 

[Minimor]

"LIKE"!!!

 

[shorthorsemom]

I was "big pharma" for 32 years of my life. I know first hand the difficulty and time it takes to bring safe pharmaceuticals and novel new life saving and other drugs to market and how many failures it takes to bring home one awesome block busting drug to market that will pay the bills of all the ones that didn't.

Big pharma rocks.

Most folks have no idea how much research and testing is involved in the medications they take.

GOOD ONE! And SUPER hooray for you not being afraid to say it.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

While I know not every drug tested will make it to the pharmacy and some of those might be 'worth the possible risks' to some, it is impossible to blame any company for following safety protocols and taking care of there bottom line. If they don't make money how are they to pay for the research and testing that puts new drug options on the list of those available. It is always hard to see a loved one suffer or die and easy to look for someone to blame. How simple then to say it is the fault of some nameless people who make decisions at a big drug company. You can do it with out looking them in the eye and seeing them as real people too. I prefer not to take drugs when it can be avoided but if not for the big pharma co.s who would manufacture the high blood pressure meds that helped my mother live into her 80s and the antibiotics that cured my husband's resistant infection and my pneumonia ?

 

[Ryan Johnson]

:ThumbUpLIKE

 

[Debby - LB]

 

[Jill]

I hear you, and get it.

 

[lucky seven]

Thumbs up and a very big LIKE! If not for you we wouldn't have the drugs that help keep us healthy. My mom is 94 and very active, her meds are a big reason.

 

[Jill]

As a PS, a lot of people complain about how expensive this or that pill or medication is. I sure wish I didn't pay 4 digits for health insurance on just myself each month and still with the insurance spend a lot of $$$ for my meds. It's about like a mortgage payment for the insurance, and a car payment for the medicine! HOWEVER, I know it takes tons of money, time, expertise and testing to develop new medications and treatments. That one pill or medicine we pay "a lot" of money for may represent many other pills and medicines that cost a lot, but never made it to market because they didn't pan out. I sure don't want pharmaceutical companies to stop innovating, and no one else should, either.

 

[AngC]

hmmmm... I don't think I understand your rant, especially the last few lines where you mention and seem to compare Daniel Vasella and Michael Vick. I think your numbers are either incorrect or old.

Michael Vick seems despicable. I won't even open that kettle of worms, because I'd have to stay up half the night figuring out his criminal/and other missteps. Vick signed with the Jets for about 5 million in the spring of 2014. (Plus game bonuses, etc.) I can't figure it all out quickly. Despite his numerous "brushes" with the law, an NFL team took him on. Really? Perhaps, soon we'll see some video on the news where he beats his wife and/or children. But that's the NFL... Personally, I think when a player has those sorts of issues, the NFL might want to get rid of him?

Daniel Vasella hasn't been CEO of Novartis since 2010. Plus you cite his salary at approx. 4 million, I guess to show that a nefarious 5 million football player earns more than a CEO.

But,,, (come on, really???)

Vasella was controversial as recently as Feb 2013 because of his $87 million non-compete, walk-out-the-door deal (which he didn't get.)

Instead, he got, (according to Bloomberg and several other financial news sources):

"$5.2 million for 8 months of work this year (2013) on the transition to his successor, Joerg Reinhardt. After that, $25,000 a day for consulting work, with at least $250,000 guaranteed annually for the next 3 years, which would bring the total to at least $5.95 million."

So after Vasella is gone he gets more than that lousy football player. I don't get your point on either one of these two bimbos.

 

[Flying minis]

The numbers are old, I did a cut and paste from a prior post. However, currently the CEO of Novartis, Joe Jimenez, receives around 2-3 M / year salary.

I guess I was mixing rants - as one of the things I hear is how "greedy" big pharma is and how much they pay themselves. I'm saying compare pay and contributions of Big Pharma execs vs. professional athletes - I know many people who complain about costs of meds only to easily pay 100's of dollars for game merchandise, tickets, etc.

 

[Jill]

^ like ^

 

[AngC]

The numbers are old, I did a cut and paste from a prior post. However, currently the CEO of Novartis, Joe Jimenez, receives around 2-3 M / year salary.

I guess I was mixing rants - as one of the things I hear is how "greedy" big pharma is and how much they pay themselves. I'm saying compare pay and contributions of Big Pharma execs vs. professional athletes - I know many people who complain about costs of meds only to easily pay 100's of dollars for game merchandise, tickets, etc.

You're kidding, really?

(Reuters) - Novartis (NOVN.VX) kept pay for its Chief Executive Joe Jimenez steady, after cutting it last year before a Swiss vote to force companies to accept shareholder limits on executive rewards. The Basel-based drugmaker, typically the first Swiss blue-chip company pay to disclose pay, said on Wednesday Jimenez was paid 13.2 million Swiss francs ($14.69 million) in total for 2013, more than 3 million francs of it in cash.

???

 

[AngC]

By the way, I wasn't criticizing your CEO's pay nor your industry.

(I wish I were smart enough, good enough, well-connected enough, or whatever, to haul home that kind of dough.)

What I did take exception to is (a pet peeve of mine) where somebody on the internet says something, and then some other people nod their heads (or type "like") regardless whether it's true or not. And then there's a bunch more crap on the internet that's just flat-out wrong.

 

[bevann]

I guess many CEOs of big companies are worth what they get,but I REALLY have a big problem with CEOs of non profits getting gigantic salaries.IMO they should take less money or donate it back to the non profit.I am always very careful with my donations until find out where the money goes.I remember reading that Girl Scouts get a very pitiful amount from each box of cookies sold.I sold many boxes as a young kid.