Palivizumab and respiratory syncytial virus disease: Selling sickness for future?

Abstract

Over the past two decades Russia has gone through dramatic 'democratic' changes resulting in unprecedented deterioration of health, loss of lives and extinction of population. The health system turned into a ridiculous monster of poorly organized business exploiting reminiscent social values of the past to build profits on selling sickness-for-all in consumer culture. We present facts and conclude that introduction of palivizumab into clinical practice for the most vulnerable patient category was done without confirmation of efficacy, without pharmacoeconomics evaluations, without any precautionary measures in a country with undeveloped pharmacovigilance system. The situation calls for immediate action of responsible authorities and the society as a whole. © 2014-IOS Press and the authors.