Posted by Samantha Smith (205.188.198.29) on January 27, 2002 at 19:16:24:
In Reply to: In hopes that Glaxo-Wellcome visits... posted by Paco on January 27, 2002 at 14:52:47:
First of all---Imitrex DOES NOT work for everyone who suffers from episodic CH....neither does oxygen or Stadol or etc. etc. Second of all----Glaxo Wellcome is not the only pharmaceutical company to manufacture a drug that could potentially help CH sufferers that should, from a purely ethical standpoint, be advertised. Third of all----pharmaceutical companies are only going to advertise a drug (Imitrex) if they think they'll be able to make a SIGNIFICANT PROFIT off of that very specialized advertising. In the big picture, the number of people who suffer from episodic CH is fairly small is comparison to the many, many people who have migraines. And when you take into account the fact that many episodic CH patients do not benefit from Imitrex and/or cannot afford Imitrex, the number of people that Glaxo can make money off of is relatively small. This is a reality that really needs to be taken into consideration. Anyway....
If there is a problem with Glaxo that you TRULY want to change in order to help other episodic CH sufferers: then (1) constructively inform others of the perceived injustice with hard facts and stats that can be verified (rather than numbers that you think are probably true) (2) be a leader, be an example and lead the fight for justice in a dignified manner (rather than shaming other CH sufferers into taking action or blaming them for the immoral actions of pharmaceutical companies that they did not directly create or take part in), (3) after informing others of the injustice then give them the tools to change the situation (ex. what is the address for Glaxo Wellcome, is there a toll free phone number for people to call to let their concerns be heard, etc.)
Just a few suggestions. I wish you the best of luck if you really want to fight for change in a constructive and dignified manner.
Unfortunately, many people don't even have access to decent doctors...forget about the money to buy health insurance or Imitrex or a television/magazine to see an Imitrex advertisement.