Splendid and Vile but mostly vile

Splendid and vile but mostly vile

This was the tag line used by one of the authors of a chapter of this book (the top executive of Pfizer no less) describing the title of a biography of Winston Churchill in the second world war. An apt description of this book as each of the uber rich pharmaceutical executives pat each other on the back congratulating each other for the miraculous work each of them have done during the COVID pandemic.
Certainly, a must read for normal people who are suffering, who have lost their jobs and who cannot afford the prices of these medicines set by the authors of these chapters – as they sit it their chalets in the mountains with some extra down time to read and write books while the rest of us suffer and die and while they plan their pricing strategy for their next drug – lest I say…Blincyto for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia which is USD 100K for 1.4 months of treatment. Pat on the back. But I digress.
This is a must read for patients and the public so we can see how these executives see themselves as saviours off of the work, bringing lifesaving medicines – but to whom I ask as I go chapter by chapter? Only the insured – not those of colour, and not those of us who are underprivileged I say to myself and I meander chapter by chapter.
Saviours of the world they claim…the next author exclaims…
Each chapter is written by the super-rich and uber rich.
It stop and reflect for a moment and think the book is a little like all the oil industry executives coming together claiming that saving the environment is their number 1 goal. Because in each chapter every (or most) authors claims their motivation is to get up and go to work to save patients’ lives. Somehow its doesn’t gel and seems to lack credibility.
But give credit where credit is due because one of the last chapters an author quotes Milton Freedman and argues the sole purpose is to make a profit. This we can agree on.
It is interesting that at the time of writing the authors of the most prestigious medical journal in the world (the New England Journal of Medicine) wrote an open letter titled “Dying in a Leadership Vacuum”. But as we see from chapter to chapter the authors state that the public and GOVT grants they get from us to make these medicines is not enough and they want more.
The authors also claim that this is our industry at our best and others again quote Winston Churchill stating that “this is our finest hour”. Interestingly this was also from a former Pfizer CEO Jeff Kindler. Probably written from his super yacht.
Splendid or vile? I say Vile.

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