For All the Wrong Reasons

I know I should be positive and optimistic in an attempt to raise spirits. Identifying problems may not move things in the right direction and there is likelihood everyone will be upset with the process. But I cannot get the proposed government drug development center out of my mind and I have no other suggestion than to cease and desist with the development of such a center and put the attention, if not the resources, on changing behavior to improve health status.

The government is not immune from the same scientific limitations and market forces that impact the pharmaceutical companies. There is good reason the flow of new, effective and safe drugs has slowed over the last fifteen years. The lack of useful products from the genome project is a good example. Even after billions of dollars are spent the pharmaceutical companies cannot achieve a fraction of what healthy lifestyle can do to improve health status.

But the government is committed to the pharmaceutical industry for reasons of economic development and Dr. Collins is committed to the principles of the genome project. I sympathize with their positions but not for reasons of health.