Johnny got his medication -- "Think of this as being a key, and this is a lock, the hole in the lock is blocked."
"60 Minutes" and Lesley Stahl: Brought to you by Sumner Redstone, and now, the AMA and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
-----------------------------------------
The most cynical story ever run on the show? Probably.
The killing of the Big Tobacco piece years ago doesn't qualify, since they, um, killed it. For a while at least, as covered in "The Insider."
But CBS and Viacom can't sink much lower than this one. "Journalist" Lesley Stahl, who's forte for many years has been puff pieces on celebs and freaks while wearing revealing skirts (she's eligible for AARP? she doesn't care.), ran a piece on Sunday's show that was simply awe-inspiring in its shamefullness.
There apparently is a drug currently being used for high blood pressure called Procramital that is now being prescribed for those who suffer traumatic memories and have difficulty coping with flashbacks and the like. Or at least its manufacturer would like it to be prescribed for this reason. The drug, according to the AMA MD shills interviewed by Ms. Stahl, works amazingly well in reducing the mental anguish of, well, rape, suicide, car accidents, etc.
Ain't that cool?
Three women who have suffered trauma at different points in their lives are presented by "60M" as having been basically "cured" by this drug. Forgive our cynical nature, but taking a sampling of desperate folks who are helped by a particular drug is ridiculous and a shameless, shameful plug for an enormous drug company that almost certainly is now scratching someone's back, as thousands of trauma sufferers are calling their doctors and begging to be put on this amazing Procramital, (God damn it all!)
------------------------------------------
Example: Fen Phen, a drug that was also manufactured by Wyeth (then known as "American Home Products") helped a lot of folks lose a lot of weight, at least in the short term.
It also killed a lot of folks, and is no longer being manufactured. If "60 Minutes" and Leslie had done a piece on this weight loss drug before the awful side effects were publicly acknowledged by Wyeth, then it might have gone something like this: (And if you don't think that Wyeth didn't know that there were side effects, then you haven't got a fucking clue how business operates in this here world.)
Patient #1 -- "Fen Phen? My God, man! Ya gotta get ya some! It's a miracle! I've lost 200 pounds in three months and I feel great! I've started to lay golden eggs! Can you believe it?"
Patient #2 -- "Fen Phen? Holy shit! I took some of that and won the damn lotto! Bought a Super-Duper-Cruiser and quit my job to travel the country! The stuff is amazing! And the taste is out of this world!"
Patient #3 -- "Wow, that Fen Phen is some good-ass shit! I took one pill, lost 85 pounds, met the woman I would marry, and went to Law School! And I owe it all to Fen Phen! Get ya some!
Doctor -- "As far as you know, it's completely safe! And nutritious, too!"
----------------------------------------------
Back to "60M" and the credulous Leslie Stahl --
"Procramital sits on that nerve cell and blocks it, so that, think of this as being a key, and this is a lock, the hole in the lock is blocked because of propranolol sitting there. So, adrenaline can be present, but it can't do its job." --
Dr. James McGaugh, professor of neurobiology at the University of California, Irvine and one of the shills promoting off-label use of the drug.
How much Wyeth stock does this man have?
Thank God we all don't have to worry about that nasty adrenaline anymore. Wasn't doing the guys getting shot at in Iraq and Afghanistan much good anyway. (There's a bullet with your name on it, son....)
----------------------------------------------
The military is looking into giving this crap to all the guys coming back from the Middle East with limbs missing and buddies who were blown to bits. So that now they can forget the deaths, dismemberments, and brutality and get back to whatever it is that people occupy their time with between wars.
A few dozen doses of Procramital and they'll be ready for another rotation!
And another! And another!
----------------------------------------------
Extra Advertising Supplement --
Lipitor, made by the huge pharma company, Pfizer, is another blood pressure med heavily prescribed in the US. And Pfizer is running a big ad on the CBS "60 Minutes" site, right next to the Procramital miracle story. Just in case you were Googling "blood pressure miracle cures sumner redstone".
Or something like that.
-----------------------------------------
The most cynical story ever run on the show? Probably.
The killing of the Big Tobacco piece years ago doesn't qualify, since they, um, killed it. For a while at least, as covered in "The Insider."
But CBS and Viacom can't sink much lower than this one. "Journalist" Lesley Stahl, who's forte for many years has been puff pieces on celebs and freaks while wearing revealing skirts (she's eligible for AARP? she doesn't care.), ran a piece on Sunday's show that was simply awe-inspiring in its shamefullness.
There apparently is a drug currently being used for high blood pressure called Procramital that is now being prescribed for those who suffer traumatic memories and have difficulty coping with flashbacks and the like. Or at least its manufacturer would like it to be prescribed for this reason. The drug, according to the AMA MD shills interviewed by Ms. Stahl, works amazingly well in reducing the mental anguish of, well, rape, suicide, car accidents, etc.
Ain't that cool?
Three women who have suffered trauma at different points in their lives are presented by "60M" as having been basically "cured" by this drug. Forgive our cynical nature, but taking a sampling of desperate folks who are helped by a particular drug is ridiculous and a shameless, shameful plug for an enormous drug company that almost certainly is now scratching someone's back, as thousands of trauma sufferers are calling their doctors and begging to be put on this amazing Procramital, (God damn it all!)
------------------------------------------
Example: Fen Phen, a drug that was also manufactured by Wyeth (then known as "American Home Products") helped a lot of folks lose a lot of weight, at least in the short term.
It also killed a lot of folks, and is no longer being manufactured. If "60 Minutes" and Leslie had done a piece on this weight loss drug before the awful side effects were publicly acknowledged by Wyeth, then it might have gone something like this: (And if you don't think that Wyeth didn't know that there were side effects, then you haven't got a fucking clue how business operates in this here world.)
Patient #1 -- "Fen Phen? My God, man! Ya gotta get ya some! It's a miracle! I've lost 200 pounds in three months and I feel great! I've started to lay golden eggs! Can you believe it?"
Patient #2 -- "Fen Phen? Holy shit! I took some of that and won the damn lotto! Bought a Super-Duper-Cruiser and quit my job to travel the country! The stuff is amazing! And the taste is out of this world!"
Patient #3 -- "Wow, that Fen Phen is some good-ass shit! I took one pill, lost 85 pounds, met the woman I would marry, and went to Law School! And I owe it all to Fen Phen! Get ya some!
Doctor -- "As far as you know, it's completely safe! And nutritious, too!"
----------------------------------------------
Back to "60M" and the credulous Leslie Stahl --
"Procramital sits on that nerve cell and blocks it, so that, think of this as being a key, and this is a lock, the hole in the lock is blocked because of propranolol sitting there. So, adrenaline can be present, but it can't do its job." --
Dr. James McGaugh, professor of neurobiology at the University of California, Irvine and one of the shills promoting off-label use of the drug.
How much Wyeth stock does this man have?
Thank God we all don't have to worry about that nasty adrenaline anymore. Wasn't doing the guys getting shot at in Iraq and Afghanistan much good anyway. (There's a bullet with your name on it, son....)
----------------------------------------------
The military is looking into giving this crap to all the guys coming back from the Middle East with limbs missing and buddies who were blown to bits. So that now they can forget the deaths, dismemberments, and brutality and get back to whatever it is that people occupy their time with between wars.
A few dozen doses of Procramital and they'll be ready for another rotation!
And another! And another!
----------------------------------------------
Extra Advertising Supplement --
Lipitor, made by the huge pharma company, Pfizer, is another blood pressure med heavily prescribed in the US. And Pfizer is running a big ad on the CBS "60 Minutes" site, right next to the Procramital miracle story. Just in case you were Googling "blood pressure miracle cures sumner redstone".
Or something like that.
posted by joe sweeney at 5:59 PM
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