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Why Chemotherapy That Costs $70,000 in the U.S. Costs $2,500 in India

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Re: Why Chemotherapy That Costs $70,000 in the U.S. Costs $2,500 in India

#171

Post by adaml_623 »

adventured wrote: post #37
adaml_623 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You say that US healthcare leads the way in innovation but in certain key measures like Infant Mortality and Life Expectancy it's not leading the field at all.

The US is within a small margin of error to being on par with both Japan (adjusting for their huge fraud in longevity) and South Korea on life expectancy. That sure sounds amazing considering our obesity / diet problems. I'd argue in fact that our advanced healthcare system and large investment is the only reason Americans aren't dying at 70 instead - we're able to keep people alive that would otherwise die much youn…

I don't understand your reply. Two sources show that the US is 51st[1] and 40th[2] in the country rankings for life expectancy? I'm not sure what Japan and Korea have to do with it. Definitely not leading the field

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expec...

[2] https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/...

Re: Why Chemotherapy That Costs $70,000 in the U.S. Costs $2,500 in India

#172

Post by inDigiNeous »

brazzy wrote: post #55
inDigiNeous wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just wondering what this has to do with Hacker News. But anyway, check out: http://www.cancer-research-awareness.com/why-chemotherapy-ne... http://www.smashcancer.com/2010/08/22/cancer-lies-and-the-me... http://current.com/green/89138817_cancer-is-not-a-disease-ch... Just a few writings and articles speaking about the lie that is chemotherapy. I have an idea how medicine works, let me spell it out here for you: 1. Po…

Thanks for answering the question: you have NO idea how science and medicine works and instead prefer regurgitating ideological bullshit.

I have some idea how science works. Science is like a religion: if something can't be measured, it is not real in the name of science.

Don't take me too seriously though. If chemotherapy works, good for you. Just trying to present alternative views into this. I've heard so many stories and people talking how chemotherapy was the cause that killed them.

But sure, I am just shooting opinions here. Like everyone else here.

And I believe I have some idea how science works, so don't assume something you don't know.

Re: Why Chemotherapy That Costs $70,000 in the U.S. Costs $2,500 in India

#173

Post by inDigiNeous »

gambiting wrote: post #36
inDigiNeous wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just wondering what this has to do with Hacker News. But anyway, check out: http://www.cancer-research-awareness.com/why-chemotherapy-ne... http://www.smashcancer.com/2010/08/22/cancer-lies-and-the-me... http://current.com/green/89138817_cancer-is-not-a-disease-ch... Just a few writings and articles speaking about the lie that is chemotherapy. I have an idea how medicine works, let me spell it out here for you: 1. Po…

This "lie", as you call chemotherapy, has kept my dad alive for 5 more years than what the doctors were giving him when he was first diagnosed. Would he get cancer if he didn't eat sugars,fats and over processed food our western society eats? Maybe. But you don't know that. Instead, you are trying to neglect the obvious, which is the fact that chemotherapy is actually saving lives of people like my dad. I agree that…

Of course I can bash companies. Most of those cancer medications are made from patented medicines that have been developed originally from the Amazon rainforest, from their natural counterparts.

These big companies are then spending billions of dollars in marketing in favor of chemotherapy and other medications that can easily cost thousands of dollars per month.

And the more they sell their medication, the more money they get, as their patients stay sick. What is their motivation really to heal their patients ?

The truth also is, many people die from the actual chemotherapy process. Good thing your dad is still alive.

Just rattling the normal view here.

Re: Why Chemotherapy That Costs $70,000 in the U.S. Costs $2,500 in India

#174

Post by brazzy »

inDigiNeous wrote: post #172
brazzy wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for answering the question: you have NO idea how science and medicine works and instead prefer regurgitating ideological bullshit.

I have some idea how science works. Science is like a religion: if something can't be measured, it is not real in the name of science. Don't take me too seriously though. If chemotherapy works, good for you. Just trying to present alternative views into this. I've heard so many stories and people talking how chemotherapy was the cause that killed them. But sure, I am just shooting opinions here. Like everyone else he…

> Science is like a religion: if something can't be measured, it is not real in the name of science.

That's exactly why science is not at all like a religion: "can be measured" really just means "affects the real world". If something affects the real world (and that includes the human mind), it can be studied using scientific methods. If it doesn't, well... what's the point?

As for chemotherapy, yes, most of it is really nasty stuff that can kill you (and in gruesome ways, too). But cancer is really nasty stuff that will kill you in gruesome ways. That's the only reason why such dangerous therapies with really bad side effects are used - because sometimes they're the only thing that can keep you alive. Quite often actually, though it may not feel that way at the time.

Re: Why Chemotherapy That Costs $70,000 in the U.S. Costs $2,500 in India

#175

Post by tete »

refurb wrote: post #127
jellicle wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Has nothing to do with "innovation", since nearly all healthcare research is paid for by the U.S. government anyway, and it's much less money than you think. The claimed expenses for "research" are mostly about bringing slight variations of drugs to market in order to extend patent protections - that is, they are rent-seeking. > "More than four fifths of all funds for basic research to discover new drugs and vaccines…

The key to your comment is "basic" research. You can discover a new drug for a few tens of millions of dollars. Now to get that drug to market? You need to cough up a few hundred million dollars. Discovering a drug doesn't save any patients, getting it to market does and THAT is paid for by private companies.

Which has another problem. Investors tend to force drugs onto the market, even when there is evidence for drugs having bad side effects, like killing you and that's nothing that ever changed.

Re: Why Chemotherapy That Costs $70,000 in the U.S. Costs $2,500 in India

#176

Post by tete »

gte910h wrote: post #160
LekkoscPiwa wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, No, No. It is exactly opposite. It is the rest of the world subsidizing the US. The dollar is the world currency. It means that if any other country in the world wants to buy energy (i.e. oil or natural gas), or to trade internationally, it can do that only and only in the US dollars. About 90% of all dollars in circulation, circulate outside of the US borders. Think about it for a second. Your "genius" central b…

> Your "genius" central banker Ben Bernanke may print and print and print and who gets hit by inflation? China does Inflation has been painfully low for years. Many have said it needs to be higher actually.

Many in the US?
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