On my days off, I try to do what matters most: reconnect with God and navigate a world increasingly ruled, and manipulated by powerful men and systems. It’s not always easy, but it’s necessary. I do that by carefully consuming information discerned to be the Truth in a world dominated by lies and deception.
This morning, on my way home, I stumbled upon a video on YouTube. When I got home, I sat down, finished it, and took notes. It was an interview with Lisa Pratta, a pharmaceutical sales representative with 32 years of experience, who courageously exposed deeply unethical and illegal practices within the pharmaceutical industry. Let that sink in, she was in an industry she is now exposing for 32 years. Is she doing this out of guilt as one might asked.
Lisa’s testimony centered around the promotion of a drug called Acthar, produced by Questcor Pharmaceuticals. What she revealed was disturbing: doctors were bribed with luxury gifts, $15,000 handbags, Armani suits, five-day snorkeling vacations, and even invitations to strip clubs(dirty world), all to encourage them to prescribe Acthar, even for off-label uses not approved by the FDA.
Lisa described how her own company pressured her to push this drug to patients with multiple sclerosis, despite knowing it wasn’t effective for those cases. One story that broke her spirit was that of Melanie, a young MS patient whose health was deteriorating while being steered toward an off-label treatment that wouldn’t help her. For Lisa, that was a moral breaking point. According to her, she broke down and wept. I would, too, and so would any human being with a soul.
To make matters worse, Questcor used sham studies and financial sponsorships like most of their peers in the industry, to subtly manipulate physicians, making them loyal prescribers in exchange for cash. And while these unethical practices were happening, Questcor was under investigation by the Department of Justice, yet they still got bought out for $5.6 billion by Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, as if legality and patient safety were mere inconveniences. That is the greatest reward any immoral company can get, a buyout.
Lisa didn’t just speak facts in that video, she spoke truth. Truth that hit me hard as a clinician who understands that poorly regulated pharmaceutical products can kill and maim. Her words pulled back the curtain on a global industry that often sees patients as top and bottom line, numbers and profits as priority. She called for accountability, for regulation, and most importantly, for the public to wake up and demand change.
That video made my day off meaningful as I intended to take note and document that here. I always take time to stay grounded in prayer, and I also confronted a harsh reality of the world we live in, a world where lives can be sacrificed for bonuses and corporate gains.
We must stay informed. We must stay connected to our values and what makes us human. And we must speak up when truth demands it without fear.
What are you willing to stand for? Fear, Truth, or Money?
In Ronnie's World, we believe in living by the Truth.
I remain your pal,
Ronnie
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