Pharma-Controls: Good, Bad….or Ugly?

Producer/director, Michael Moore has been (fairly or unfairly) faulted that his documentaries play judge, jury and executioner for his own (self-confessed) liberal agenda. But you know something—they sure do work. The arguments that Moore builds in film are so darn convincing that he’ll have the most ultra right winger at least second-thinking any conservative positions. His most recent film, “Sicko”, questions the US healthcare and pharmaceutical systems by comparing them to those in Canada, Cuba, the UK and other more laisez faire systems. Here’s my question: if the price of certain pharmaceuticals in the US were controlled the way they are in certain (ala Moore) other economies—what would happen to Pharma R&D? Who would reward the breakthroughs? And (gasp!) what would happen to the newest of all product marketing categories in the US: pharmaceutical marketing! What would happen to the media business? Would Michael Moore focus his next documentary on the plight of the unemployed ad man? What’s your opinion?