US and WTO say no to cheap drugs for Third World Countries

[kurchatovium]

You don't have to necessarily give up sex but narrow it down to people who you know really well. Being discriminate about who you sleep with is now not only a good option its a necessity. Perhaps many will still not choose to live by this principle but it was good advice even before AIDS when syphilis and gonorhea were the main concern.

New drugs are on the way which are more effective than the old ones. As I stated before they can now stop AIDS altogether if you can get to the hospital within two hours after a possible exposure by blasting it with a compliment of drugs. It not perfect but its a start. I suspect as they perfect new drugs hopefully those new ones will be able to stop the disease cold in its tracks at anytime. Progress through research is the main hope of curing the disease. So I guess I would agree being on the research end myself that more money should be funneled into research instead of "overhead crap". However I would add that it is the bigger companies that usually spend more on research since they can afford more easily the higher costs than smaller ones.

As I said I am pragmatic expecting business executives not to want to make money is not likely to ever happpen. That is the real world, not always pretty but the situation we must actually deal with. They are running businesses afterall not charities. Are some overly greedy, yes probably so, but I think there are enough who are not so that eventualy the disease will be stopped. Perhaps a wee bit too optimistic on my part but it is Christmas after all.

 

[Sadistictickler]

Now that's what I call being greedy

but well, Bush has also severely fucked up the domestic policy (that's why he's always talking shit about Irak, so no-one thinks about whats actually going on INSIDE the US) so maybe he should make sure everyone gets a decent health-ensurance for godssake.

 

[Texas_Tickle]

I have an Uncle who is a doctor and said that the drug companies basically controll every aspect of his pratice and if he needs to write a prescription, then to pick the most expenisve brand of drug, so the hospital he works for can get a "kick-back"

He told me he was going to quit at the hospital and open his own clinic....a place where the drug companies are not calling the shots, as he told me.

 

[august spies]

We always come to the rescue of the poor of the world and provide them with billions of dollars in food, clothing, amd medicine.

<smaks head> kurch dont u get it, thats what they want to do but

a) the US and the WTO wont let them

b) who the hell are they to tell them

c) to them as money is more inportant than people

if the poor countries let their sick into their shoddy hospitals and give them affordable aids drugs, than the us will use the WTO to sue those starving nations for interfereing with US profits, not only is that f'ed up, it not even really true. this is greed beyond belief. and that is why when the WTO came to seattle the people were so pissed they had to shut their greed meeting down.

 

[Tabooqui]

Reality?

yes which is why the system sucks, and the people making the decisions are the rich stock holding elite.

Most corporations are nearly wholly owned by middle class masses of ordinary people. Your "rich elite" don't need to play in the stock market.

anyone on here tyring to rationalize banning cheap AIDS drugs and contraception to the suffering poor and says they support freedom needs their head examined

Freedom isn't the issue. The issue is everyone wanting NOT to be held accountable for either their own, or their governments behavior. Throwing the "people are dying, babies are being orphaned" speech out isn't a solution, it's a rationalizing process to justify trying to force corporations to try to behave in a philanthropic fashion, which isn't their function. You ignore the root causes and insist that "someone" treat the symptoms. This isn't going to modify the actions of countries and people who engage in dangerous practices. You'll be applying a bandaid and shortly there will be yet another generation of infected undereducated socially irresponsible people in countries whose governments are corrupt and inattentive, and you will need to once again attempt to force this cycle to continue. You're looking at the issue though pure emotion, which, while admirable in one sense, isn't going to lead to a long term solution. Yelling fire is fine, but follow up with some damn water.

there is more to life than the profits of the few

Again, emotion that leads nowhere. Corporations AREN'T the answer. Forcing them to be what they shouldn't will eventually cause them to wither away, and then where will you go for the materials and help to solve your still existent social deaths?

 

[kurchatovium]

Like I said I believe there are some types in this industry who are "Scrooge" like but I believe there are others who are not. I would add though to a good CEO money is the most important thing and profits are what he/she are judged by. Whether you make dollhouses or drugs this is the case. Can this be taken too far to the point where it hurts public image? Yes of course a lot of companies have made this mistake and some of them have been in the medical field.

I don't get the "they" in your argument. Is the US and WTO really that powerful? Or is reality as is often the case lie somwhere between the extremes. I believe it lies somewhere between but thats just my opinion. I am still optimistic about a cure eventually and to me a cure for AIDS is good business to a company that could find one. Perhaps I am wrong but I think I am not. Anyway Merry Christmas to you all.