I recently watched a program about Restorative Justice on 60 Minutes about how crime victims of have met with the perpetrators of these crimes, and in so doing so, and having accepted sincere apologies, have helped their own recovery.
Much of this blog has discussed how I have been injured by Amgen's failure to give adequate warnings to patients, and doctors as well, about its osteoporosis drug Prolia (denosumab).
Like any private corporation, Amgen seeks to make a profit for itself and its stockholder. And as a capitalist enterprise, it relies upon a relationship between a willing seller and a willing buyer.
But the drug industry is set apart from many other consumer industries in the following manner:
1. It deals with the most personal issues in the consumer's life: life and death, health and illness, injury and recovery.
2. Choices about goods sold and their use are typically not made by the consumer. They are made by licensed professionals, generally physicians, who are presumed to understand the effects (whether therapeutic or adverse) of the drugs they prescribe for a particular patient.
3. Prescription drugs in the U.S. must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Once such approval is established, drugs may be freely prescribed by any duly licensed medical practitioner.
4. While consumers may not be able to self-prescribe, since 1978 drug companies have been allowed to advertise their wares directly to consumers via TV and other media, creating demand upon physicians who may themselves be in a competitive situation with other health care prescribers and therefore consciously or unconsciously be anxious to please their patient-consumers.
5. Pharmaceuticals are one of the most profitable sectors in the U.S.. economy, and, individually and through associations, has demonstrated its ability to offer strong support to candidates for public office. This in turn has created a climate in which industry profit may take first place ahead of product safety and efficacy, and may even affect the information value of product information available for doctors and patients.
So how do I, a consumer, living with pain and disability resulting from several issues in connection with a drug, go on to make my peace with what may be a permanent condition affecting every aspect of what is left of my life?
It would be remarkable to have a sit down with Mr. Robert Bradway, Chief Executive Officer of Amgen, the manufacturer of Prolia.
It would be remarkable if Mr. Bradway would actually review the sales figures for this drug and also the figures for reported adverse drug reactions, bearing in mind the likelihood that only a small fraction of adverse drug reactions ever get reported.
It would be remarkable if Mr. Bradway would reach out to people on medical social media whose lives have allegedly been ruined by Prolia and ask how Amgen could make this up to them, even by supporting the extra help and therapy they might need now.
It would be remarkable if, having heard these stories of lives ruined, Mr. Bradway would implement a stop on direct to consumer advertising for Prolia (as well as any direct to consumer advertising planned for their new monoclonal antibody Evenity (romosozumab-aqqg)
What is the likelihood of any his happening?