Trust in the pharmaceutical industry

Commenting on the current swine flu pandemic and the discussion about the need for vaccinations, the daily Der Standard calls for the public to place more trust in the pharmaceutical industry: "The distrust regarding the branch is leading to the withdrawal of highly effective medicines from the market as soon as the news about dangerous side effects becomes widespread - as with the painkiller Vioxx for instance, which many patients still pine for. The longer they are tested, the more expensive medicines become - and then the manufacturers are blamed for the high costs. … With the swine flu, too, the anti-pharmaceuticals mood which prevails even among doctors creates a health-policy trap. No one should be forced to get vaccinated. But as long as the extent of the threat remains unforeseeable we should be glad that vaccinations are available. They could indeed save lives."

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