AstraZeneca Will Cut 8,000 Jobs Worldwide

Where is Mike Zubillaga when you need him?

I guess this is, in its way, the other side of the Seroquel, et. al. story on other threads. Sad, indeed. And no doubt the vast majority of the folks getting the axe had nothing to do with scuzzery of any kind. (While the threat of the axe would make a great many of us "adjust our compasses" at times...)

The top guys have to cut costs enough in order to pay themselves their outrageous bonuses! Sadly, employees suffer.

I have a unique perspective on this disgusting display of greed occuring today in the big pharma arena. As a young scientist in the early 80s, I was recruited by one of the well known pharma houses to sell ten ledgend products to seven specialties, sell a large number of generics to pharmacies and hospitals and present with detailed scientific competance, a number of research papers to a miriad of medical personell. Back then ,this was expected of ALL pharmaceutical reps. And each territory had only ONE rep. Fast forward to the new century and the new and improved big pharma marketing system. After a couple of related healthcare ventures, I re-entered the pharmacy marketing field. I was a "team member" of EIGHT who's responsibility was to promote only THREE products to TWO physician specialties. This same company had nearly a dozen more of the same types of teams for more of its products. Do the math and compare the marketing costs of then vs now. Don't forget the cost of all of the wasteful lunches, TV and radio commercials, print ads and many other monetary "incentives" for healthcare professionals that never exsited just a few short years ago.No wonder it requires billions in sales not millions to pay for this marketing monster. My stay with this new pharma was very short indeed. I am encouraged to see that some changes are starting to occure, but sorry to say, for the wrong reasons. It is sad to see how unbridled greed has ruined a once proud profession. I am delighted to say that I was able to convince my offspring to avoid this field.

Being new to this blog, I was hoping that folks could help me get calibrated on the term "unbridled greed". I see it a lot here, and I'm just having a little trouble figuring out how to distinguish unbridled greed from the ordinary kind.

Maybe we could do a poll, and people could vote on which of the following represents greed, unbridled greed, or ordinary behavior.

1) Sending a s--tload of pharma reps out to doctor's offices.

2) Spending money on a vacation when there are kids in Africa dying of malaria because their parents can't afford $5 mousquito nets.

3) Driving a car to work everyday, when some of the worlds poorest and most overcrowded areas are being inundated by global warming.

4) Putting up fences to keep out people who lacked the wisdom and foresight to be born north of the Rio Grande, but who are willing to travel far from home, sleep outdoors and work for $2 / hr to feed their families.

5) Buying a new car that costs more than $30K when 700,000 Americans are homeless, 25% of them children.

Any help on this issue will be appreciated.

Thanks!