Originally posted on 05/07/2015:

Atrial Fibrillation causes clots to develop in the heart which can become dislodged and cause strokes. This happens about 120-130k times per year. Many die or become 100% disabled from the stroke.

Up until about 10 years ago, Coumadin was the best way to prevent these strokes by making the blood very thin. Sometimes too thin and people died from that.

So about a decade ago, doctors figured out a much, much better way to prevent strokes in these patients. During studies it proved amazing, showing to be 80% better and more effective than Coumadin.

The device was all set for FDA approval. This is a once in a lifetime type of development.

Well, a few years before this device was ready to roll out, a new line of drugs began competing with Coumadin. Drugs like Xarelto (Janssen) and Eliquis (Bristol-Meyers Squib) got FDA approval.

So this new device, called a watchman device by Boston Scientific, had been in trials, destroyed Coumadin and had amazing outcomes, it was ready to be approved for FDA approval.

Well, Janssen and Bristol-Meyer Squibb pitch a fukking fit. They go to the FDA and argue "Well, that device may be superior to Coumadin but hasn't been shown to be either non-inferior nor superior to our drugs" so the FDA shelves the watchman device and makes them go back through the studies to show non-inferiority and superiority to Xarelto and Eliquis. Neither Eliquis nor Xarelto had shown to be superior to Coumadin and Coumadin is still the most commonly used anticoagulant. Yet these fukkers won on a technicality.

This took years to accomplish. Many lives were lost because of this greed by big pharm. Many lives destroyed due to someone having a stroke that could have likely been prevented, many families buried in debt now because Janssen and Bristol wants your money than they want your safety.

This happens every year, every month, every day.