Cure You or Kill You

There is big money to made from biological products. Of course, it is expensive to manufacture drugs from the cells of genetically modified hamster ovaries.

How did anyone ever discover that those tiny ovaries were worth harvesting? Many vaccines are grown in eggs, but hamster ovaries takes modern medicine up another step on Frankenstein’s ladder.

Yes, Enbrel, the autoimmune biological product, created from the cells of genetically modified hamster ovaries, is big business for pharmaceutical companies. Did you know that Enbrel might relieve some symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, but could kill you? Since these substances tamper with the immune system the patient is more susceptible to infections. The product has black box warnings for cancer. The ads--and most doctors--don't make these dangers crystal clear. Since the product has been available for two decades people assume it must be safe.

Those people who took Prilosec and Nexium may remember when proton pump inhibitors solved their gastric issues and then, after years as prescription drugs, became available OTC. It must be safe, right?

Then news arrived about magnesium malabsorption. Then news arrived about kidney damage and strokes. Don't forget dementia. Then there was the drug manufacturer's kickback scheme. As of January 2019, there are more than 2,700 active proton pump inhibitor lawsuits pending in MDL 2789.

By hook or by crook Enbrel's patent was extended to 2028. Read more about Enbrel at The Atlantic.