Xavier Becerra is currently the 25th secretary of Health and Human Services. He was born to working class parents, and has stated that his childhood witness to the struggles of the working class has driven his career ambitions to reform healthcare by establishing universal healthcare for all Americans. He promised to achieve this by building on the Affordable Health Care Act. More specifically, he promised as part of the Biden administration’s agenda, to lower prescription drug costs and lower health insurance costs. Has he kept these promises and what have been the results of their implementation?

We at OLM have extensively exposed the corruption of Big Pharma and have explained precisely how pharmaceuticals damage the body in our articles such as; Some Antibiotics May Blind, Cripple, Or Kill You, Why I Stopped Taking Prescription Drugs, HyperTension; How To Lower Your Blood Pressure Quickly And Naturally, and Vaccine Propaganda Versus Vaccine Truth and more. The case in point for Xavier Beccra’s promise to lower prescription drug prices, and how they were actually raised, is his promotion of Big Pharma’s agenda.

Due to the public’s false understanding of pharmaceuticals, their adverse effects on the body and the public’s widespread misunderstanding of the effectiveness and necessity of pharmaceuticals, the American people also are ignorant of the true lasting effectiveness of natural alternative solutions that support the body’s inbuilt immune system and regeneration. The American public will get drug prescriptions regardless of how much more expensive they become. The raising of prescription drug prices under Xavier Becerra was taking advantage of the American public by profiting off their ignorance and benefiting Big Pharma. Herein is the proof of how Xavier did not lower prescription drug prices but instead they rose. According to a Issue Brief by ASPE (Assistant Secretary of Planning and Evaluation): Office Of Health Policy;  the average price increases was larger in 2022 then in the months in previous years: it was 150 dollars per drug ( 10% increase) in January and in July 2022 it was 250 dollars per drug (7.8% increase). There were 1,216 products(drugs) which during the twelve month period between July 2021 and July 2022 exceeded the inflation rate of 8.5 percent for that time period.

Health insurance costs rose as well. According to Health System Tracker, health insurance costs rose from 4.785 trillion dollars in 2021 to 4.876 trillion dollars in 2023. The sharpest rise occurred between 2019 and 2020 in the declared Covid 19 pandemic but the second sharpest rise was from 2022 to 2023 from 4.679 trillion to 4.867 trillion dollars. Health insurance is sometimes used to cover emergency surgeries due to physical trauma, not only to purchase prescription drugs. Xavier Beccra promised to lower health insurance costs and instead they rose at the expense of Americans. The results of Xavier Beccra’s career as Secretary of Health and Human services was only breaking every promise he made to protect and support the health of the American public and the results show with no doubt, America’s need for someone who will keep their promises. RFK Jr. is capable of and has proven committed to doing exactly that.

Robert Francis Kenndy Junior is well known for his environmental activism and his health activism and advocacy. He’s considered by the mainstream media to be a dangerous advocate and activist of misinformation, but what the mainstream media considers him to be highly controversial for is what makes him stands him out as exceptionally qualified. One of his qualifications for the position as Secretary of Health and Human Services is his work at the nonprofit organization called Children’s Health Defense.  He has founded and was chairman of Children’s Health Defense, an organization which provides education and news on vaccines, environmental toxins, the growing epidemic of chronic health conditions in America’s children and more. Children’s Health Defense’s goal is to solve the health crisis plaguing our children as RFK Jr. states: “The greatest crisis facing America is the chronic disease epidemic in America’s children.”

News stories they cover include the coverup and censorship of the damages and injuries caused by the Covid vaccines, health conditions caused by exposure to toxins and the ongoing lawsuits against the companies and industries responsible, the truth behind vaccines, legal battles against the coverup of  injuries and deaths caused by vaccines and more. Children’s Health Defense also has  scientific research projects such as their StateWide Databases (which has provided necessary information for their other projects); Clinical Informatics Program, Pediatrics Health Outcomes Initiative, Genomics Integration Project and more. Their Statewide Databases consist of the granted mediated and provisional access to the Florida Medicaid database. Their other projects consist of the following; The Clinical Informatics Program was started by Dr. Hooker to keep track of and study the medical record of patients who have been vaccinated and those who have not. The Pediatrics Health Outcomes Initiative was started by Dr. Paul to study children who were vaccinated from birth till 18 years of age and those who have not to compare the differences in the children’s health. The Genomes Integration Project has both scientists at Children’s Health Defense and scientists: Ulrike Kaemmer MD, and Kevin Mc Kernan Phd,  investigating  the integration of the spike protein code from the Covid vaccine into the human genome and the resulting effects. All these projects pursure what the mainstream medical community will not: actually studying the results of accepted allopathic medicine  in peoples’ health versus those who have not received such “necessary treatment”.

Donald Trump has said he would put RFK Jr. in charge of the public health agencies and asked RFK  Jr. three things of him as Secretary of Health and Human Services: One, to clean up  the corruption at the agencies, particularly the conflicts of interest that have turned those agencies into captive agencies for the Big Pharma industry, the Big Food industry and the other industries that they’re supposed to be regulating. Two, to return those agencies to the gold standard of science, of empirically based, evidence based medicine that they were once famous for. Number three is to make America healthy again, to end the chronic disease epidemic  and that Trump wants to see measurable, concrete results within two years. In two years he wants to see measurable results in the diminishment of the chronic disease epidemic in America’s children. We at OLM absolutely believe RFK Jr.  will fulfill these promises with the same relentless determination he had founded and accomplished at Children’s Health Defense with.

Sources; Health System Tracker: How Has US Spending On Healthcare Changed Over Time?  ASPE: Office of Health Policy: Price Increases For Prescription Drugs From 2016 to 2022, Rumble : RFK Jr. , Donald Trump Has Asked Three Things of Me by channel Truth Unlimited, PBS NewsHour: Secretary Becerra on bipartisanship, healthcare and immigration, Children’s Health Defense: Science Publication and Projects.

SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) are the most common and generally considered the safest antidepressants. They work by preventing the reuptake of serotonin, thereby increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain. They are considered the safest for having the most favorable side effect profile compared to other antidepressants. They are considered first line treatment for severe and or persistent depression, other psychological conditions such as anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, PTSD and more. They are considered immediately necessary and effective for treating severe depression especially but how truly effective and safe are they? 

The time it takes for SSRIs to start working is 2 to 4 weeks. It is considered that SSRIs are immediately necessary for the severely depressed, as severe depression can compel one to commit suicide, yet they do not work immediately. This is because the brain tries to recalibrate serotonin levels by producing less of it.  If it can take nearly a month to start working, why should it be treated as first line intervention? When it finally does take effect, how effective is it? How significantly does it improve symptoms?

According to the National Library of Medicine, in multiple studies comparing a placebo to antidepressants, it found that 20 to 40% of people taking the placebo reported improvement in their symptoms and 40 to 60% of people taking the antidepressants reported improvements in their symptoms. Simply believing that their placebo pills will help causes a reduction in symptoms, yet for the actual SSRI antidepressants this also only comes to a 20 percent increase in improvement. If depression can be life threatening, why is this rate of improvement accepted as adequate? Furthermore, alongside this rate of improvement, what kind of side effect profile do SSRIs have? 

According to a study done by the National Library of Medicine, out of 401 patients taking antidepressants, 86% experienced at least one side effect and 55% experienced multiple bothersome side effects. These side effects, according to The National Library of Medicine and NHS, include feeling agitated, shaky, or anxious (yet antidepressants are prescribed to treat anxiety disorders), feeling sick, digestive issues such as indigestion, stomachaches, diarrhea, constipation (SSRIs are also used to treat digestive disorders), loss of appetite, insomnia (sleep deprivation increases risk of depression), or exhaustion (exhaustion is one of the symptoms of depression), headaches, loss of libido or other sexual issues. These symptoms usually improve after a few weeks of use, but for many they persist. These symptoms, even if they usually recede, make remission of depression more difficult. These symptoms, so commonly experienced, put users at even greater risk for suicide. Why should people be prescribed SSRIs when these drugs can not only negatively impact their quality of life but worsen the symptoms of their depression? Long term use of SSRIs are also linked to diabetes and cataracts. Rarer side effects of SSRIs include serotonin syndrome, Hyponatremia, and increased suicidal ideation. All these side effects and risks point not only to the lack of effectiveness of SSRIs but to the toxicity of the drugs as well. The toxicity of SSRIs is especially concerning considering  as much as 90 percent of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut. 

Enterochromaffin cells are responsible for producing as much as 90 percent of the body’s serotonin (other cells in our gut, and microbes also play a major role). The side effect profile of SSRIs point to the concerning toxicity of SSRIs because SSRIs are just like other pharmaceuticals. They have an antimicrobial effect on the gut microbiome. They also, by damaging the gut, disrupt the gut brain axis (the gut brain connection). The brain’s balance of serotonin is directly connected to the gut’s health and this proves that in order to treat depression effectively, supporting the gut’s health should be paramount. 

Further Reading

• How I Overcame Depression Naturally

• Vitamin D: The Vitamin You Need from Preventing Cancer to Treating Depression.”

• Serotonin: What You Need to Know About The Body’s Key To Health and Happiness.”

• Four Types Of Food You Need To Avoid to Decrease Your Risk Of Depression.”  

Sources

• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors: A Narrative Review – National Library of Medicine
• Towards Achieving Optimal Response: Understanding and Managing Antidepressant Side Effects-National Library of Medicine
• Side Effects: Antidepressants- NHS
• Real World Data on SSRI Antidepressants Side Effects- National Library of Medicine
• Dosage – Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)- NHS
• Depression and Sleep: Understanding the Connection- John Hopkins Medicine
• Microbes Help Produce Serotonin in the Gut- Caltech

Vioxx, also known as Rofecoxib, is a painkiller that was prescribed to treat arthritis, migraine and other pain conditions. It was released to the public in 1999 and withdrawn from the public in 2004 due to public health concerns, but what exactly were those public health concerns and should such a drug have been approved at all? 

In November 1998 Merck, a pharmaceutical and global health care company, asked the FDA to approve the painkiller drug Vioxx, having tested the drug on 5,400 subjects in eight different studies themselves. But it was after Merck published their VIGOR study with over 8,000 subjects that the FDA approved Vioxx. This study was successful because it compared the occurrence of GI problems as a side effect with Vioxx and Naproxen. Vioxx caused fewer ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding than Naproxen as proven in their study. Vioxx is then seemlying a better painkiller drug than Naproxen as proven in their study and the FDA  then approves Vioxx.

But being the sole researchers for their new product that they wished to sell proved to have a conflict of interest. They ignored the other dangerous side effects of Vioxx: heart attacks and strokes. In 2000 The New England Journal of Medicine published an article titled” Expression of Concern”. They had found the data in the VIGOR study and found Vioxx’s risks of heart attacks , strokes and other cardiovascular problems to be much higher compared to painkiller Naproxen.

First table of data shown in ”Expression of Concern” shows these ratios of risks: 17 to 4 is the number of heart attacks of study group subjects taking Vioxx versus taking Naproxen. This is the risk findings of the VIGOR study that does not include three heart attacks that were in the VIGOR study data, but were not submitted to the Journal. These heart attacks were made public in the updated data released by the FDA from a memorandum dated July 5 2000 that was obtained by subpoena in the Vioxx litigation , and was than made available to the Journal.This puts the ratio of risk at 5 times higher than Naproxen. At least two of the three authors knew about the three heart attacks at least 4 1/2 months before publication of their VIGOR study according to the memorandum as well. 

Yet they did nothing. The number of heart attacks caused by taking Vioxx were clearly dangerously higher then from taking Naproxen and yet Merck sought approval for it’s drug Vioxx anyway. The exact number of patients who took Vioxx and suffered a heart attack is not entirely clear but according to Dr.David Graham, Associate director of The FDA Office of Drug Safety, the FDA’s failure to recall Vioxx from the market could led to as many as 60,000 deaths from heart attacks and stroke.

Carol Earnest was the first of tens of thousands who sued Merck over damages they claimed was caused by the drug Vioxx. Carol’s husband Robert Ernest, took Vioxx to treat the pain in his hands and less than eight months later he died of a heart attack in his sleep. Not understanding the cause of her husband’s tragic death, Carol researched until she concluded that Vioxx was the cause of his death. She was awarded 253 million dollars after suing Merck but later had that award reduced and then overturned by a court of appeals that found insufficient evidence that Vioxx was the cause of Robert’s death. 

How were other similar lawsuits handled? In 2007 Merck settled the rest of the lawsuits of the Vioxx cases for 4.85 billion dollars. Merck then had to settle Department of Justice criminal charges for 950 million dollars in 2011. Merck then settled  a class action lawsuit by investor’s lawsuits for 830 million dollars in 2016. By settling these lawsuits  they avoided having to dispute any more lawsuits brought against them and avoided actually taking responsibility for the charges brought against them.

After the Vioxx scandal, there was great public outcry for reform in the FDA’s ability to regulate and restrict the release of new pharmaceutical drugs to the market. The FDAA then passed the Amendments Acts of 2007, to better manage drug safety and past market surveillance, as well as transparency towards the public.

 Some critiques have made on the lack of change in transparency in this Act by The New England Journal of Medicine and others, but the underlying problem remains. The FDA views Big Pharma as it’s client it must cater to, not properly regulate.According to a FDA User fees PDF, in fiscal year 2022, user fees represented 46% of the FDA’s total budget of 6.2 billion dollars. Dr David Graham stated on CBS news among other concerns that ”If you’re a scientist, and you raise a safety question, almost all of the time, almost 100 percent of the time, pressure gets brought on you to change your opinion”. This makes sense as so much of the FDA’s funding comes from Big Pharma. The FDA doesn’t want to disappoint it’s client if it can possibly avoid it. 

The Vioxx scandal is a clear and tragic example of Big Pharma’s corruption as well as the FDA’s indifference to Big Pharma’s corruption. The corrupted structure of the FDA’s relationship with Big Pharma remains the same. Nothing has changed to protect the public from another Vioxx and so there is no protection at all, from Big Pharma or the FDA from any new dangerous pharmaceutical drugs.  

Sources

• NPR news- ”The Rise and Fall of Vioxx”

• PRovoke Media -”Merck’s Vioxx scandal Highlights Big Pharma Ethics issues”

• The New England Journal of Medicine – ”Expression of Concern”

• Drugwatch” Vioxx – Treatment for Arthritis and Recall for Patient Deaths ”

• Drugwatch :Vioxx Lawsuit – Settlements , Injury Claims and Notable Cases

• The New England Journal of Medicine – “The FDA Amendments Acts of 2007, Assessing it’s effects a Decade Later”

• FDA user fee issue PDF – FDA User Fees: Examining Changes in Medical Product Development and Economic Benefit”

• CBS news – FDA: Harsh Criticism From Within.