But everyone is missing the benefit of Merck’s actions here. You can’t deny that osteoporosis and the resulting morbidity and mortality are very real. Prior to the introduction of bisphosphonates, there was no effective treatment other than diet/lifestyle changes. I agree that diet and lifestyle changes are very important and should be first line, but medication can add to that.

It was Merck’s actions that enabled more women to be screened with pushing for Medicare coverage for bone density scans. You forget the women who were screened and treated, preventing the morbidity and mortality of osteoporosis.

Was the diagnostic criteria of osteopenia arbitrary? Probably, but so are many other medical diagnoses. Did Merck benefit from this? Yes. Should doctors recognize this and evaluate the data themselves and reach there own conclusions and prescribe accordingly? Yes. But as I said before, most doctors are too stupid to realize that Drug reps are salesmen, not friends, and are wooed by the free diners and cheap pens.

I believe that Doctors are as much to blame as the pharmaceutical companies for the overuse of some medications

By the way, i am a practicing physician. We have banned drug reps and their samples from our offices.

Take a drug that grandfathered in to the FDA. A drug that was used with success long before there even was a FDA. So no safety and efficacy studies were ever done.

Do the studies proving what doctors had known for years. Get FDA approval and exclusivity.

Litigate the generic manufacturers out of the market. They are using “unapproved” drug. It’s the same drug, same dose, but not approved by the FDA. It was OK last year, but not now.

Then with the market all to yourself, take the drug that used to cost five cents a pill, and charge five dollars a pill.

Quinine to Qualaquin

Colchicine to Colcrys

http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2009/December/29/FDA-approval.aspx