Posted on 01/28/2005 8:00:54 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Actually, no, an incidental comment, labeled as such as it was is not a non sequitur.
there are no pictures so none of us are in a position to even hazard a guess as to her current condition
A number of privileged FReepers have, in fact, seen Bearwash's wife. One of the advantages of Asian ancestry, present in most but not all cases, is a God-given preservation of youthful appearance well into the decades. Perhaps this is why she can walk into a preschool setting with our grandchildren and be mistaken for one of the young mothers.
Actually, the only countries that have made this threat are not the ones we buy drugs from, but some small third-world countries that want cheap HIV drugs. It's not likely that any such countries have the manufacturing prowess to copy US drugs even if they wanted to.
At the same time, it's also true that the pharma companies are asking for illegal copying by getting special cushy patent terms passed just for their own benefit. We're seeing shenanigans like minor changes in formulation just before a patent expires, done just to extend the term another umpteen years. If you thought the controversy over kids downloading music was rough, just wait until countries like China and Korea start cloning drugs they get tired of waiting for. The more pharma insists on being the RIAA of the human body, the more common folk will be cheering when their products get cloned.
We have a serious problem with overregulation in our country that is contributing to the booming demand. But I do have to say that the one time I bought from a "Canadian" pharmacy, I was quite surprised that what I received actually came from Australia. I'm just relieved that it was at least first world and effective.
The GOP needs to get real though. They tell us that it is fine to bring in much of our food from countries where we would take great care as tourists in what we eat, and that it is perfectly fine to send our personal financial information off to countries like India. They just make themselves look bought and paid for by corporate interests.
Finally, you get your patent from the date you file. If it takes 15 years to get approval, then you have only 5 years or so to make any money.
You should take your complaint up with your Congresscritter and ask that the period of a patent BEGIN on or after the date a drug is approved for use.
If they can be that obvious, it is obvious they don't have to worry about voter wrath. The sheeple will just re-elect them anyhow.
I wouldn't worry about those. You can wash them off if you're worried about such things as whether the Mexicans grow theirs in human waste, and so on.
Damn. That's slicker than X42! (And extremely unfair to people of modest means.)
I don't know about that - remember the 94 elections?
Could you please provide your take on generics vs brand names.I think generics are wonderful. Most physicians I know do prescribe generics (or allow substitution on the script). Some meds are not yet available via prescription, and we often use the drug reps as info sources regarding them. I tend to try and keep up on the studies as well and usually give the reps some "homework" regarding real results.
Why do drug reps spend such an incredible amount on perks for Dr's? Is it for the sole purpose of expounding the merits of their particular drug or, does it have significant impact on whether a Dr prescribes a brand name over a generic?
At the end of the day, I would not mind this practice as long as Dr's had to disclose the cash value of perks provided by drug reps to their patients.
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