Friday, September 21, 2007

The neutraceutical-industrial complex

Herbal woo is a big money industry. It’s coming on strong, largely unchallenged. Compared to the rigorous scrutiny of Big Pharma the N-I complex is getting a free ride. This article from Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics is a fascinating exposé:

In conclusion, the N-I complex is rapidly growing despite limited proven value of the products they produce, no known benefit in most cases, and even harmful effects in some instances. Its distribution models often prey on the poor and naive, and the industry is a master of misinformation, confusing the public with many techniques, some described above. Moreover, for reasons one can only speculate about, our culture has created and continues to propagate this powerful meme, which, sadly, is probably aided by missteps in marketing and drug development as well as other serious issues plaguing the pharmaceutical industry.

Read the rest.

No comments: