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written by reader Obesity pills

By rippstudio, July 23, 2012

I need help understanding just what happened here. Last month Arena got approval from the FDA on their Obesity pill Biquig I bought in at ten thinking this was great news and the stock would increase in value. Well since then it has hovered between 9.50 and 11.50.
Then last week Vivus got approval on their pill which is supposed to be alot better than Arena’s. I bought in at 30 and it has been doing nothing but dropping since the announcement, 22.50 at this writing.
I’m very new to this and just don’t understand how ggod news for these markets can result in lost of staock value.
Can soMeone explain any of this?

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Howard
Guest
July 23, 2012 12:43 pm

The problem with Big Pharma is that the money incentives are all wrong, and the general public is (slowly) becoming aware of that problem. I would have no interest in Biquiq because I have personally succeeded in losing over 120 lbs without surgery, prescriptions, calorie counting, or going hungry. The only difficult step in the whole process was coming to the realization that the nutritional advice I was getting from my doctor and the government was ass-backwards. Especially the parts about “healthy whole grains” (a totally fictitious substance) and the ridiculously unhealthy “low-fat” fad.

What’s wrong with the money incentives and Big Pharma? It’s pretty obvious when you think about it. If you are lean, fit, healthy, and taking no prescription meds, you aren’t worth a damned thing. But if you are chronically ill and slowly dying from all your prescription med side-effects (which, of course, require more prescription meds), you are a GOLD MINE!

I am thoroughly uninterested in buying Big Pharma stock, whether Vivus or any other company in that business. It is highly unlikely that Big Pharma is going to produce anything that actually promotes good health, because if they did, it would hurt their bottom line.

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RMcLaugh
Guest
RMcLaugh
July 24, 2012 10:34 am

So how did you lose 120 lbs?

Howard
Guest
July 24, 2012 10:56 am
Reply to  RMcLaugh

I cover that in some detail in my blog (and I do my best to answer specific questions there). And I give away that information at no charge.

loudaws
loudaws
July 24, 2012 6:17 pm

Howard, don’t be so cynical. Back in the early ’90’s I read about a new drug for
depression aprroved by thr FDA and manufactured buy Forest Lab. Paid $34.00 per
share for it. It split 4 times to $544.00 per share. If you want to lose some weight take some pills . If they work , By some stock in the maker. There are far more fat people than there are depressed ones. You might get rich, and learn to love people who make drugs.

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Howard
Guest
July 25, 2012 7:59 pm
Reply to  loudaws

It doesn’t really matter how cynical I get, I just can’t keep up. Jerry Naughton covers a situation similar to this “obesity pill” in his blog at http://www.jerrynaughton.com/?p=462

Statins are yet another example of perverse incentives. REALLY perverse. Muscle toxins used to treat a fictitious disease called “high cholesterol.” $27 Billion-with-a-B perverse, with no credible evidence that statins actually improve health in any way. Or that high cholesterol causes heart disease.

The only thing that interests Big Pharma is making money, and the only real challenge they face is how to best prolong your misery without actually killing you (an event which makes the money stop). No law or combination of laws can stem the tide caused by perverse incentives.

Note that I am *not* claiming that Big Pharma is run by evil people. The problem is that the incentives are perverse — the effects of which are difficult to distinguish from the effects of evil people running the industry.

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