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Essay Instructions: I will be faxing and/or emailing the 2 articles (one by Busfield, one by Abraham) that will be the basis for the essay.

Busfield and Abraham agree that "Big Pharma" is a problem for the American healthcare consumer, but present a range of causes, from the FDA approval process to various aspects of "pharmaceuticalization." First, briefly summarize the main points made in each article. Second, choose one aspect of the problem, whether the role of DTCA (direct to the consumer advertising), the clinical trials process, using physicians as marketers, incentives for creating lifestyle drugs rather than the most needed drugs for existing diseases, or the role of exclusivity in prompting drug makers to continue to seek new uses for old drugs and explain why that aspect of the problem is MOST significant in affecting the safety and/or cost of new drugs. Finally, suggest reforms that might protect the consumer.

Prefer the use of Times New Roman.

While you can use any of the aspects you wish, I believe exclusivity of drug patents is the most defensible. If you use this track, you might mention the recent news of Angelina Jolie and her cancer test for BRCA1. Myriad Genetics not only holds the patents for BRCA1 and BRCA2 testing, THEY HOLD THE PATENT ON THE BRCA GENE. Consequently, they are the ONLY ONES who can develope a test for these mutations. Therefore, they can an do charge $3000 or more for the test.
There are other such examples but use of outside sources should be minimal.