#Trump also says the #US will be putting #tariffs on imported #pharmaceuticals & #lumber. He has already begun a #trade investigation into lumber, but has yet to do that for pharmaceuticals.

#Makary testified before the #Senate #health cmte Thurs morning as he seeks confirmation to helm the arm of the #HHS charged w/making decisions touching the lives of every American. The ~$7B agency has a wide mandate, overseeing the #safety of things such as #vaccines, #InfantFormula & tobacco products. It regulates #pharmaceuticals as well as the majority of the US #food supply, both of which involve industries that have come under frequent fire from #RFKJr, HHS secy.

Four Thieves Vinegar Collective is an anarchist collective that teaches people how to make low-cost versions of pharmaceuticals — a philosophy they call “right to repair for your body.” @404mediaco’s @jasonkoebler spoke to chief spokesperson Mixæl Swan Laufer about the group’s motivation, technology, and his hopes that they could eventually disband. “Charging astronomical prices to people who are dying is immoral, and Four Thieves seeks to normalize the idea of making some types of medicine yourself,” writes Koebler.

https://www.404media.co/right-to-repair-for-your-body-the-rise-of-diy-pirated-medicine/

@GottaLaff This sort of thing is exactly what fuels pharmaceutical conspiracy theories, for example those surrounding vaccinations. Many people already view "big pharma" as just a bunch of money grubbing thieves that try to extract as much profit as they can from people's miseries. And we know that their representatives try to induce doctors to prescribe even arguably dangerous medications (Qxycontin being the poster child for their bad behavior). And we know that the goivernment is often at least partially complicit; in part because of yielding to intense lobbying by the pharma industry. So it is not a real huge leap for people to believe that they are lying when they say vaccines are safe and effective. Unfortunately, that's a case where past evidence shows they are being truthful, but they have shot much of their credibility because of their past bad actions.

And, this is another one of those things that only seems to be a major issue in the USA (and maybe Canada). I would bet that relatively few pharmacists in countries south of the border throw away pills that are a just few weeks or months past their expiration date. So the irony is that the US government regulates the pharmacists more tightly than they do the big drug companies that make the stuff. And that's what makes people like me feel very comfortabe finishing off the last of a 15 year old bottle of Tylenol or Ibuprofen before I will go buy a new one.

It's hard to explain exactly how I feel about it because I get a Covid and flu vaccine regularly and trust that those are indeed safe and effective, even though every single time I have had a Covid vaccination I have felt like I had the flu for a short time in the middle of the night. And I take time-tested generic prescription medications to control high blood pressure and high cholestrol (as long as it's not a statin). But yet I have told my doctor that I absolutely under no circunstances whatsoever will ever take any drug that is advertised on television. If that means I will die earlier than I otherwise would, so be it, I'm not trying to win the longevity olympics here, and I really do hate big pharma that much that I would rather die sooner than see those soulless money grubbers unjustly enriched by my sickness or medical condition. I wish no one had to take prescription medications, and therefore I sort of understand (a little bit) why some people would prefer to drink bleach or take an animal dewormer rather than get an effective vaccination. I think they're nuts (talk about the cure being worse than the disease!), but I can also kinda see how they might have arrived at those beliefs. The pharmaceutical industry has never come across as caring about their customers more than they care about money.

@mattblaze

Some #pharmaceuticals have prices that exceed $50k per #gram of active ingredient. A small bottle of "water" could smuggle your whole fortune, if you had a connection at your destination willing to take it, and you were willing to take whatever haircut that involved.