They've GOT to be KIDDING!!!

     Okay. It really takes a lot to get me this disgusted.  This ticked off.  Steamed enough to want to publicly rant about it.   I usually write about something either creative or amusing.  But, this morning I read an article in the Washington Post... the article is  from the Tuesday, Oct 26, 2010 issue and is entitled,"Glaxo Smith-Kline settles bad drug case for $750 Million".  (Google it if you want to read the whole article.)
     Basically, Glaxo Smith Kline is one of the largest drug companies in the world.  They manufacture lots and lots of prescription drugs.  Many well-known brands are made by them; I refuse to list any of them lest I inadvertently encourage someone out there to buy one of their medications.  I WILL list some of the ones they screwed up on: Paxil,  Bactroban, Kytril, and Avandomet.  Paxil is prescribed for anxiety and depression,  Bactroban is an antibacterial ointment, Kytril  is an anti-nausea medication, and Avandomet is prescribed for diabetes.  These medications were screwed up in the manufacturing process; they were inter-mingled with each other due to a contaminated and uncontained water system and air system at the manufacturing plant.  They also were contaminated due to unclean environments at the manufacturing site. This is not cool.  Not cool at all. 
     Not only were the medications contaminated, but, Glaxo SmithKline KNEW it and sold them anyhow!  Oh, man.  If that doesn't make your blood boil, I don't know what would.  As a Registered Nurse of many, many years, I find this offensive.  And, as a person with medical problems of her own, I find it doubly offensive.  When a physician writes a prescription there are so many things that can go wrong! The pharmacist can fill the wrong med, the dose could be incorrect or misread by the patient. The patient could have adverse side-effects from the drug... But, if you are taking something for nausea you really don't expect it to be laced with a psychiatric med or an anti-diabetic agent!
     As if that isn't enough, here is the dispersement of the $750 Million settlement: $96Million to the whistle-blower who reported the contaminations and subsequently lost her job; $600 Million to the GOVERMENT-
reportedly to cover Medicaid losses associated with these drugs; and, apparently, the remainder went for legal counsel.  Now, I don't begrudge the whistle-blower her settlement.  It is a terrible thing to lose one's job for doing the right thing.  And, although I think court costs are horribly inflated, I guess I understand those millions... But - the government???  Oh, yes, definitely... let's give all this money to the same government that is spending, spending, spending, and borrowing at a greater rate than we can imagine... That money will get lost in the bureaucratic shuffle, never to be seen again...
     Meanwhile, how much settlement did the PATIENTS get?  Yep. You guessed it - Zero. Nilch. Nada.
                                     Shalom, anyways, Y'all - Twyla