LET’S look at some disturbing figures. The use of prescription drugs in the US has soared. In 1993, the average number of prescriptions per person per year was seven; by 2004 it was up to 12 – and rising. That’s some 3 billion prescriptions and a cost of $180 billion. So is the richest nation also the sickliest? Have the drugs stopped working?
According to journalist Greg Critser, who’s spent years studying the pharmaceutical industry, the reason is that these drugs (which, remember, require a doctor’s or healthcare professional’s authorisation) are now central to the national notion of health.
For John…
