Allen Roses, worldwide vice-president of genetics at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the world’s 2nd largest drug manufacturer, said fewer than half of the patients prescribed drugs actually derived any benefit from them.

It is an open secret within the drug industry that most of its products are ineffective in most patients but this is the first time that such a senior pharmaceutical executive has gone public.

Dr Roses, spoke at a recent scientific meeting in London where he cited figures on how well different classes of drugs work in real patients.

• Drugs for Alzheimer’s disease work in fewer than 30% of patients, whereas those for cancer are only effective in 25% of patients.
• Drugs for migraines, for osteoporosis, and arthritis work in about 50% of the patients.
• Lipitor, the world’s largest selling drug rarely works in women and the elderly, the two groups that are prescribed it the most.

“Most drugs work in fewer than one in two patients mainly because the recipients carry genes that interfere in some way with the medicine,” he said.

Over 90 percent of drugs work in only “30 to 60 percent of people”

“The vast majority of drugs – more than 90 percent – only work in 30 or 50 percent of the people,” Dr Roses said. “I wouldn’t say that most drugs don’t work. I would say that most drugs work in 30 to 50 per cent of people.”

According to recent surveys, 4 out of 5 Americans – 80% of our population – take at least one medication each week. Men and women age 65 to 75 take an average of 6 medications per week and among those over age 75, the average is 11 medications per week. If you’re helping to look after elderly parents, those numbers probably don’t surprise you.

In general, the use of prescription drugs increases 9-10% a year. That means that within 3 years, the average American will take at least one medication each week.

No one is born with a drug deficiency

I don’t believe that any of us is born with a drug deficiency, nor do we acquire one later on in life. We all have an innate Life Force that is capable of doing amazing things when given the right conditions, nutrients, and opportunity to do so. With the right approach, most people can eliminate high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, excess weight, migraines, arthritis, and fatigue, just to name a few.

When you give up personal responsibility for your health, you pay a high price. Don’t worry, Big Pharma will be glad you’re paying it.