Many times, ‘pharma’ really is evil

While half of Marc S. Thiessen’s “Other Views” commentary (“’Evil’ Big Pharma is, in fact, saving us from COVD-19”, E-R March 5) is right on the money (the ‘saving us’ part), the other half appears to be based on some sort of alternate reality and a severe case of selective memory.

Many aspects of Big Pharma have proved to be demonstrably evil. Consider the top 10 pharmaceutical scandals, ranging from 40,000 patient deaths (Merck Vioxx), to individual pill prices being raised from $13.50 to $750 per tablet (Martin Shkrelis), to tens of thousands of Opiod deaths per year (Rochester Drug).

Here is that full pharmaceutical scandals list (details online):

The Questor Pharmaceutical Price Hike, Merck Vioxx, Roche Medicine Safety, Pfizer Celebrex, Mylan’s Epi Pen, Bristol-Myers Squibb Abilify, Martin Shkrelis Daraprim, Merck MMR and Rochester

Drug Cooperatives Opiod Scandals.

One quarter of Thiessen’s article demonizes both the

CDC and Dr. Anthony Fauci for “making the pandemic worse.” Dr. Fauci was attacked for mask statements he made prior to March 11, when there were only 1,100+ confirmed COVID-19 cases in the USA. Fauci was concerned about the number of masks available for essential health workers and said that CDC COVID-19 mask recommendations were ‘subject to change’ (as per the April 3 CDC mask recommendation).

The true “Culprit in Chief” for making the pandemic worse, of course, was Donald Trump, who essentially muzzled Dr. Fauci in July and announced in October that, “85% of the people wearing masks catch the virus.”

— Mark S. Gailey, Chico