The danger posed by drug companies

A gal named Melody Petersen spent eight years of her life studying the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. The result is her book called, "Our Daily Meds."

Here are some of the fascinating conclusions and results of her work:

1. 100,000 Americans die every year taking their prescription drugs as instructed.

2. The largest lobbying group in Washington is the drug industry, which has more lobbyists in D.C. than the total of 535 Congressional representatives and senators we elect.

3. Only the U.S. and New Zealand allow drug companies to advertise directly to the public (their prescription drugs) on TV.

4. Sixty-five percent of Americans now take at least one drug available by prescription only.

5. Drug makers hire doctors and have marketing professions train them to give slide shows to other doctors who are often unaware the doctor giving the program is being paid by the drug company. They give the program to get other doctors to prescribe the drug their company makes.

6. Her basic conclusion is that drug companies want you to believe their efforts are all about science and good research while, in truth, they is quite often only about lobbying Congress, bending the FDA to do their bidding and focusing more on sales and marketing than good science.

It appears that we have a lot more to fear from a doctor who has been propagandized by the pharmaceutical industry in the U.S. than from those corner drug dealers we see police busting on the news. Most of us don't trust or use illegal drugs anyway.

Jim Peterson

Hoffman Estates