Big Pharma Sustains Me — Why Do Politicians Bash It?

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Mar 17, 2021

I’m a healthy 65-year-old type 2 diabetic.  I maintain my good health through the following controlled daily regimen:

  • Diet
  • Exercise
  • Prescription medications

All the above are crucial to my existence, but while I can occasionally miss a day in the gym or stray from my healthy diet, I cannot live without prescription medications.  I take these medications to help manage diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol:

Metformin: lowers the amount of sugar produced by the liver

Atenolol: treats high blood pressure

Simvastatin: helps lower bad cholesterol and fats

Olmesartan: helps with blood flow

Januvia: helps lower blood sugar

Ozempic: helps my body release insulin

I’ve attempted to live without some of these medications using extreme diet and exercise programs as alternatives, and the results have always been disastrous: high blood pressure, high blood sugar, higher cholesterol and weight gain. 

I’ve discussed this phenomenon on television, radio and in numerous columns with Dr. Evelyn C. Granieri, former Chief of the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Aging at New York Presbyterian Hospital.  “A significant part of health and ageing has to do with luck and genetics,” said Dr. Granieri.  “A healthy lifestyle helps, but you cannot negate the importance of medications.”

Three of the medications (Metformin, Atenolol, Simvastatin) mentioned above are generic and can be purchased inexpensively, (less than the cost of vitamins or a daily smoothy).  Even without Medicare – which I have – the cost of these drugs are minimal with a GoodRx coupon.  (Atenolol 3 dollars a month).  Januvia and Ozempic are expensive drugs, but they are new and the results of millions of dollars of research and effort on the part of pharmaceutical companies, which brings me to the point of this piece.  If not for my prescription medications, I would be in very ill health or (based on family history) perhaps not even alive today.

Why then, are the companies providing me with lifesaving drugs continually maligned by politicians (and many of my associates in the media) who regularly insist that we should be receiving prescription medications for “free”?  

Pharmaceutical companies are easy targets for politicians to push an anti-corporate agenda and galvanize a block of voters.  In the past politicians have targeted companies from other industries, but as health becomes a larger issue, a new scapegoat has been found.  Despite their increasing attacks, politicians have offered no solutions or plans regarding “free” medication, but instead point fingers and bang a loud drum, demonizing the businesses I rely on for my health. 

Politicians (and many of my fellow pundits) promised me that I’d have better and less expensive healthcare with the ACA, but instead I lost my endocrinologist and my insurance, so pardon my skepticism.  As far as I know, the government offers the public no help or education regarding heart health and diabetes, yet my twitter feed is filled with helpful information from numerous pharmaceutical companies that I use daily. 

As a nation, we are not healthy. According to the CDC, more than two-thirds of the adults in our country are obese and one-third morbidly, and the problem is worsening.  Blaming an industry may serve as a temporary band aid and garner votes and television ratings, but it’s doing nothing to promote the future health of Americans.