Edward de Silva wrote: So JC, You have never heard of manufacturers trying their new dangerous drugs being tried on people in the third world like Africa, Bangladesh and some parts of India?
And, doctors who are on back handers are going to publicise their actions? People on Goanet HOOK on what is in front of them on the screen. It is not just antibiotics that is under question (although Selma started the topic as such) the whole medicine administration is under question for me. ED. === jc's response: Edward, I suggest that it is best to take one step at a time. Many simultaneous steps in different directions normally lead to confusao. I will deal with Antibiotics first. Once that is settled, we can deal (if you wish) with medicine as a whole. Let me state up front that there are a whole lot of medicines out in the market which have been inadequately tested for side-effects, created havoc and had to be withdrawn e.g. Vioxx. WRT: Antibiotics: Having noted that antibiotics (some of spurious quality) are being indiscriminately prescribed and dispensed especially in Third World countries, I contest the following which you have written: 1: Antibiotics are OK but ONLY once a year or so. 2: doctors are on commission with the manufacturers so it is in their interest to prescribe a certain medicine or medicines. I will submit that Antibiotics SHOULD be prescribed whenever necessary - even if it means 10 times a year. And there are conditions which require antibiotics several times a year. Fortunately, we do NOT have those conditions commonly prevalent in Goa. With regards to 'back handers' - IF you know for certain that a particular doctor is taking a back hander for prescribing antibiotics - Report Him/Her. I have separated ANTIBIOTICS from other medicines - for a specific purpose i.e. There are NO NEW antibiotics on the horizon. NO pharmaceutical company is seriously working on any NEW antibiotics. They'd rather make money off VIAGRA and CIALIS. So ...when the present final line of antibiotics i.e. Vancomycin - is overcome by bacterial resistance, we are in a soup. That is what all this talk of Super-Bug is all about. jc ps: It is possible that Edward actually meant to state more or less what I have written.
