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I predict that the corporate media will run with this story and that as a consequence this source of medicine will soon disappear. We cannot have the profits o

I predict that the corporate media will run with this story and that as a consequence this source of medicine will soon disappear. We cannot have the profits of our Most Holy Corporations drop. Cheap antibiotics will cause a drop in the Most Holy Profits of Our Sacred Corporations, and That Is Not Permissible.

Sharlin 13y ago
You do realize that it's a Very Good Thing Indeed For Everybody if the reckless use of antibiotics is reined in as much as possible?
puzzlingcaptcha 13y ago
The linked paper is from 2002. Has anything changed with regards to regulation in the past 10 years?
DanBC 13y ago
How much profit do you think is made on antibiotics? How much profit is made by the misuse of antibiotics in animal rearing?
pessimizer 13y ago
>Cheap antibiotics will cause a drop in the Most Holy Profits of Our Sacred Corporations The opposite is true: with bacteria resistant to ancient antibiotics that are out of patent and work in weeks, the only alternative will be treatment for months or years with heavily patented drugs of dubious effectiveness and long hospital stays. Is that your preferred outcome?
- Fomite 13y ago
  Not to mention treatment for the side effects. Our last ditch antibiotics are not gentle drugs.
pmorici 13y ago
If we assume for a moment your assumptions about corporate motivations are correct they would be just as well to let this continue and promote it so that even the most common infection can't be treated by cheap antibiotics any more due to resistance. At which point people are forced to run into the arms of the large drug companies and their patented expensive antibiotics which can't be bought w/o a prescription at the pet store.
angersock 13y ago
Increasing access to antibiotics is not necessarily a good thing.
- guard-of-terra 13y ago
  Let people decide. If they want antibiotics: sell it to them.
  - angersock 13y ago
    No, because people are idiots and have no concept of how overuse of antibiotics reduces their utility. People, as a whole and on average, are terrible at judging long-term costs and overuse. Now, if the product was priced to properly reflect negative externalities of use and abuse, maybe. But, that's not going to happen.
    - guard-of-terra 13y ago
      Let's stop selling cars, PCs and alcohol to people. Because, you know, people are idiots and you know better. So make them consult a well-paid and often clueless bureocrat before buying anything listed above. No prescription - no bottle.
  - dragonwriter 13y ago
    Do the phrases "Negative externalities" or "Tragedy of the Commons" mean anythign to you? The harms from antibiotic overuse don't go to the people doing the overusing.
    - guard-of-terra 13y ago
      Then limit yourself! Or better, your mom. You can try to limit animal antibiotics use but that industry can fight back. People, you persuade. Nobody have to preserve your commons for you. If you want that field be green, what are you willing to spend?

Sharlin 13y ago

You do realize that it's a Very Good Thing Indeed For Everybody if the reckless use of antibiotics is reined in as much as possible?

puzzlingcaptcha 13y ago

The linked paper is from 2002. Has anything changed with regards to regulation in the past 10 years?

DanBC 13y ago

How much profit do you think is made on antibiotics? How much profit is made by the misuse of antibiotics in animal rearing?

pessimizer 13y ago

>Cheap antibiotics will cause a drop in the Most Holy Profits of Our Sacred Corporations The opposite is true: with bacteria resistant to ancient antibiotics that are out of patent and work in weeks, the only alternative will be treatment for months or years with heavily patented drugs of dubious effectiveness and long hospital stays. Is that your preferred outcome?

Fomite 13y ago
Not to mention treatment for the side effects. Our last ditch antibiotics are not gentle drugs.

pmorici 13y ago

If we assume for a moment your assumptions about corporate motivations are correct they would be just as well to let this continue and promote it so that even the most common infection can't be treated by cheap antibiotics any more due to resistance. At which point people are forced to run into the arms of the large drug companies and their patented expensive antibiotics which can't be bought w/o a prescription at the pet store.

angersock 13y ago

Increasing access to antibiotics is not necessarily a good thing.

guard-of-terra 13y ago
Let people decide. If they want antibiotics: sell it to them.
- angersock 13y ago
  No, because people are idiots and have no concept of how overuse of antibiotics reduces their utility. People, as a whole and on average, are terrible at judging long-term costs and overuse. Now, if the product was priced to properly reflect negative externalities of use and abuse, maybe. But, that's not going to happen.
  - guard-of-terra 13y ago
    Let's stop selling cars, PCs and alcohol to people. Because, you know, people are idiots and you know better. So make them consult a well-paid and often clueless bureocrat before buying anything listed above. No prescription - no bottle.
- dragonwriter 13y ago
  Do the phrases "Negative externalities" or "Tragedy of the Commons" mean anythign to you? The harms from antibiotic overuse don't go to the people doing the overusing.
  - guard-of-terra 13y ago
    Then limit yourself! Or better, your mom. You can try to limit animal antibiotics use but that industry can fight back. People, you persuade. Nobody have to preserve your commons for you. If you want that field be green, what are you willing to spend?