Pathetic, but sadly not surprising. Agree that much higher standard of quality control is required. That would mandate a higher level of regulatory agency funding. Good luck on that. On a policy level, the most egregious problem is advertising. There are only two developed nations that permit direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs: the United States and (oddly) New Zealand. As noted, drug companies in the United States now spend far more on marketing than on R&D. Every doctor I've ever spoken with about this issue finds it concerning. Such advertising was first allowed in 1985, but for technical reasons was limited to print until 1997, when it first came to television. Reverting this statutory mistake should be on the top of every list of needed health care reforms, but consciousness of its significance, even among serious policy wonks, seems minimal, and the opposition to it from the pharmaceutical industry would be ferocious.
