Bird Flu

[chefmike]

you're almost as witty and entertaining as your inbred comrade from florida...but, anyway... I'm glad you dropped in to enlighten me...don't be a stranger...

[chefmike]

what a bummer...I'd love to hear some more of your "insights"....but I'm headin' out...but I will leave you with this, slick...in regards to your drivel...

[Evilhomer]

What no Anti-Bush pics on that one ...damn im shocked

[BlackAdder]

The CDC keeps things quiet usually....If they say theres a danger, Id tend to believe it. Influenza is a rapidly mutating virus as viruses go. Im amazed that the majority of votes is that no one is worried about it...Do some reading if you can, and look up the Influenza epidemic of 1918 for a taste of how bad the common flu can be.

[chefmike]

regarding war criminal rummy's connection to the birdflu vaccine, click on this link from fortune magazine

http://money.cnn.com/2005/10/31/news...e_rumsfeld/?cr

[AllanahStarrNYC]

I saw a very interesting documentary last night about killer bacterias and antibiotics. Though the flu is a virus- the program focused mainly on TB, and how there are strains now of TB resistent to EVERY antiobiotic used to treat it. TB is as easy spread as the flu.

The problem is that really- no new anti biotic has been intoduced to the market in the last 20 years. Most drug companies now do not even research anti biotics because it is not profitable since it is not a medicine people need to take continually- which is very, very scary.

The program also talked about how a lot of people are now contracting staph they can not treat because it is virtually resistent to all anti biotics in the market.

I think if we were hit with such a pandemic- the goverment and CDC are unprepared. Most medical research in this country is to develop drugs that people will have to take a life time, hence profits are made. I think very little research is done on cures or prevention of.

I think a lot of people tend to forget that antibiotics were only introduced during World War II, before than people died from simple bacterial infections often. I think there is a stastic somewhere that more soldiers in WWI died of infection from wounds and surgery than actually on the battlefield.

[chefmike]

the pharmaceutical industry is incredibly corrupt, the money they throw around to lobbyists is incredible...I have a sister that's been a psychiatric professional for over twenty years...the money isn't in finding cures...it's in pushing trendy new drugs...granted...anti-depressants and things of that nature are needed...but look at the money the industry spends on promoting things of that nature, viagra, etc. versus real research and efforts into diseases and cures....and the FDA is their partner in corruption...

[Felicia Katt]

Drug companies are the most profitable industry

The drug companies claim that they need large earnings - 125,835,595,000 in 1999 - to conduct their research and development. They have a point - only up to a degree. Aggressive research is indeed needed. The medications produced by the pharmaceutical industry have improved the quality and length of life of many people. But this justification loses credibility when:

1. Just 1 out of every 5 dollars the drug industry collects goes to drug research.

2. Some drug companies spend almost twice as much money for advertising and marketing as they spend for research.

3. Drug industry profits are so large they outstrip every other industry's profits by far

Drug companies are the most profitable industry. In 2001, a year which saw a drop in employment rates, a plunge in the stock market and symbols of America's economy literally come crashing down, the drug companies continued their reign as the most profitable industry in the annual Fortune 500 list.

While the overall profits of Fortune 500 companies declined by 53%, which was the 2nd biggest dive in profits the Fortune 500 has taken in its 47 years, the top 10 U.S. drug companies increased their profits by 33% (3).

Collectively, the 10 drug companies in the Fortune 500 topped all 3 of the Fortune magazine's measures of company profitability for 2001, according to the magazine's annual analysis of America's most important companies.

These drug companies had the greatest return on revenues, reporting a profit of 18.5 cents for every $1 of sales, which was 8 times higher than the median for all Fortune 500 industries, easily surpassing the next most profitable industry, which was commercial banking with a 13.5% return on revenue)

http://www.healingdaily.com/conditio...-companies.htm

the above figures do not include catnip.

FK

[chefmike]

Drug companies are the most profitable industry

The drug companies claim that they need large earnings - 125,835,595,000 in 1999 - to conduct their research and development. They have a point - only up to a degree. Aggressive research is indeed needed. The medications produced by the pharmaceutical industry have improved the quality and length of life of many people. But this justification loses credibility when:

1. Just 1 out of every 5 dollars the drug industry collects goes to drug research.

2. Some drug companies spend almost twice as much money for advertising and marketing as they spend for research.

3. Drug industry profits are so large they outstrip every other industry's profits by far

Drug companies are the most profitable industry. In 2001, a year which saw a drop in employment rates, a plunge in the stock market and symbols of America's economy literally come crashing down, the drug companies continued their reign as the most profitable industry in the annual Fortune 500 list.

While the overall profits of Fortune 500 companies declined by 53%, which was the 2nd biggest dive in profits the Fortune 500 has taken in its 47 years, the top 10 U.S. drug companies increased their profits by 33% (3).

Collectively, the 10 drug companies in the Fortune 500 topped all 3 of the Fortune magazine's measures of company profitability for 2001, according to the magazine's annual analysis of America's most important companies.

These drug companies had the greatest return on revenues, reporting a profit of 18.5 cents for every $1 of sales, which was 8 times higher than the median for all Fortune 500 industries, easily surpassing the next most profitable industry, which was commercial banking with a 13.5% return on revenue)

http://www.healingdaily.com/conditio...-companies.htm

the above figures do not include catnip.

FK

Felicia, you always have your facts in order...I have already mentioned on this board that we nominate Allanah as a UN rep (if she could afford the pay cut), and you certainly deserve the nomination also...

[Quinn]

Definitely some great info on the drug industry. Since everyone's already made the points I would have made, there's not that much for me to add. I was, however, surprised about the industry earning 125 billion in 1999. I knew their profits were huge, but I didn't realize they were that huge. For my part, I have seen to it that my clients and I have avoided investing in drug-related stocks. Why feed the beast?

-Quinn