Hey! – Rob here 👋🏼
Your Daily Health Fix today is about …
Following the Big Pharma Money
Following on from last Thursday’s health fix in which we discussed the importance of seeking a second opinion on your medical diagnosis or proposed treatment, today we’re detailing some shocking facts and figures that demonstrate that this isn’t just a conspiracy theory, but rather the reality of the medical systems around the world.
Take a look at this table –
This investigation published in the British Medical Journal used freedom of information requests to discover the level of industry funding received by various regulatory bodies around the world.
For clarity,
TGA – Therapeutic Goods Association (Australia) – received 96% of it’s funding from industry.
EMA – European Medicines Agency – received 89% of it’s funding from industry.
MHRA – Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (UK) – received 86% of it’s funding from industry.
PMDA – Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Agency (Japan) – received 85% of it’s funding from industry.
FDA – Food and Drug Administration – received 65% of it’s funding from industry.
HC – Health Canada – received 50% of it’s funding from industry.
These governmental agencies are of the main authorities deciding which treatments are approved as safe, which treatments options to promote or give preference to, and are heavily involved in governmental health policies and the licensing of medical professionals.
in addition to being partially or mostly funded by Big Pharma, it’s not uncommon for industry representatives to have a seat at the table on the boards of these agencies, acting in an advisory capacity to management and policy makers.
Furthermore, various investigations have noted that medical students regularly make use of text books published by pharmaceutical companies, lecturers often receive funding from or have second jobs at drugs companies, and throughout their careers Doctors and nurses regularly attend continued training organised or sponsored by industry players.
Not only this, but in some countries it is illegal for independent providers in the health and wellness space to provide services, treatments or sell therapeutic devices without the appropriate licenses. All well and good you might say, until you realise that it is the same governmental agencies that control the licensing. This means that safe and effective alternatives that can be backed up by real science are often pushed aside, as the pharmaceutical influence on the various committees can block any threat to their businesses.
To keep this post brief I will conclude by asking – are you happy for your Doctor(s) to be educated and regulated by companies who’s main prerogative is to sell as many pills and devices to you – or would you rather the education, and studies looking into treatment efficacy be free of external influence?
Check back on last weeks post for practical tips to ensure you get the best treatment.
. . . That’s it for this dose,
Until the next time – Stay Motivated!💪🏼
Rob
P.S. If you’re enjoying these updates and they are helping you, please support me and The Health Fix by buying me a coffee ☕️
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