Drugstore chain Walgreen Co. Monday said quarterly profit rose 6.6 percent on strong demand for Christmas and Valentine's Day merchandise, even as a weak flu season impacted its pharmacy business. (Reuters)
"Pharmacy sales increases faced a strong headwind from a flu season that didn't generate as many doctor visits as a year ago and, as a result, fewer prescriptions," Rick Hans, Walgreen director of finance, said in a statement.
There needs to be tighter controls - private or otherwise - that maintain consistent levels of illness in our society. I mean, as Big Pharma develops ever-better drugs and remedies for consumer consumption, less people are, well, getting sick.
Its a saddening position to be in economically, for these colossal yet paternal multi-national drug companies, and its an inspiration to me when one of these beleaguered sentinels of public interest sees a rise in year-over-year profits, despite, "a flu season that didn't generate as many doctor visits as a year ago", and subsequently endured, " fewer prescriptions."
One can only hope that society and our government regulators will rise to the aid of companies like Walgreen’s and ensure that commercial drugs work well, but not overly well. Or we may be faced with a world barren of monolithic corporations whose only interest is to medicate the public.
I shutter at the thought.
Posted by: James | March 28, 2006 at 07:03 PM