Anybody else watch this documentary about the medical device industry?
As a businessman with libertarian-leaning views, I tend to support minimal biz regulations. However, when I see stuff like this, it certainly gives me pause.
To paraphrase somebody in the film: "You think you need to worry about big pharma? The medical device industry is a lot more dangerous."
The FDA is a cluster**** of an organization. They should be watching out for the well being of people by monitoring how well tested new medical implants are. Instead, they're recklessly helping medical device companies use people as unsuspecting guinea pigs for devices and procedures that need more testing. Even when an orthopedic surgeon, who was himself a victim of a new hip replacement technology gone terribly wrong, presented them with extensive data on how the new hip device was destroying peoples' lives, they were indifferent.
The whole thing is infuriating, but the really tough part about watching the documentary is seeing the stories of people who have had their lives destroyed by these devices. They go to their doctor for a particular problem, the doctor recommends a new or under-tested device or procedure. The doctor is making money by promoting what he's selling. Next thing you know, somebody is badly damaged, often irreparably so.
Many of us like to bash personal injury lawyers, but they're often the only advocates the victims have, and it's a long, uphill battle to get help or recover any damages. And when you see what happens to these peoples, money is not a particularly good consolation prize.
As a businessman with libertarian-leaning views, I tend to support minimal biz regulations. However, when I see stuff like this, it certainly gives me pause.
To paraphrase somebody in the film: "You think you need to worry about big pharma? The medical device industry is a lot more dangerous."
The FDA is a cluster**** of an organization. They should be watching out for the well being of people by monitoring how well tested new medical implants are. Instead, they're recklessly helping medical device companies use people as unsuspecting guinea pigs for devices and procedures that need more testing. Even when an orthopedic surgeon, who was himself a victim of a new hip replacement technology gone terribly wrong, presented them with extensive data on how the new hip device was destroying peoples' lives, they were indifferent.
The whole thing is infuriating, but the really tough part about watching the documentary is seeing the stories of people who have had their lives destroyed by these devices. They go to their doctor for a particular problem, the doctor recommends a new or under-tested device or procedure. The doctor is making money by promoting what he's selling. Next thing you know, somebody is badly damaged, often irreparably so.
Many of us like to bash personal injury lawyers, but they're often the only advocates the victims have, and it's a long, uphill battle to get help or recover any damages. And when you see what happens to these peoples, money is not a particularly good consolation prize.
