Non Medical Switching

Imagine not being able to provide medications for your family because of their exorbitant costs when just as effective, cheaper medicine exists. Non Medical Switching is the pharmaceutical companies' switching medication therapies for their financial gain. For those suffering from chronic diseases, this switching can be harmful.

Cardiologist Dharmesh Patel, MD, accounts one fatal example of harm done from Non Medical switching. One patient was on "good blood pressure medicines which were working great," but "[the blood pressure medicines] were switched, and the blood pressure spiked, and [the patient] went on to have a stroke." Dr. Patel states that Non Medical Switching "undermines what [Dr. Patel] went to medical school for."

Non Medical switching is deplorable; not only does it harm patients but also raises the prices of the medicines. Countless are not able to purchase medicine because of financial constraints, so why would already rich pharmaceutical companies switch their medications meaninglessly if lives are at stake.?