>From today's (Sun, 26 Apr 98) New York Times:
There is a serious shortage
(in the United States) of a vital drug made from blood
plasma, which certain persons with compromised
immune systems need to live. With the drug, many of
them live normal lives; without it, they get all
sorts of infections (and, presumably, die, or at
least, as one patient says, it: "tak[es] my life
away as I know it" (p. 1). The
source of the problem is complicated (article
begins on Page 1), but it is all tied up with
issues of the "business case" for (i.e., against!)
pharmaceutical companies producing the drug. Here's
the reason I'm calling attention to this story:
"With lives in the balance, this should be
fixed," said Dr. Arthut Caplan, Chairman of the
blood advisory committee of Health and Human Services.
"But when you leave the supply of a vital substance
simply in the hands of the free market, and you don't
keep an eye on what is going on, you will wind up
risking unintended bad consequences." (p. 20)
\brad mccormick
--
Mankind is not the master of all the stuff that exists, but
Everyman (woman, child) is a judge of the world.
Brad McCormick, Ed.D. / [EMAIL PROTECTED]
914.238.0788 / 27 Poillon Rd, Chappaqua, NY 10514-3403 USA
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