Readers React: Capitalism doesn’t justify ripping off the sick with high drug prices

To the editor: In response to David Lazarus’ Feb. 5 column on price gouging by Big Pharma, one reader wrote, “As much as I appreciate Lazarus’ reporting, this is a lost cause.” It is, but only as long as we the people continue to allow our representatives to be bought off by the lobbyists. (“With drug company lobbyists in Washington, don’t expect relief on prices,” Readers React, Feb. 9)

A second reader, quoting Lazarus’ statement that the companies are “crawling with profit seekers preying on the sick,” amazingly concluded, “Isn’t that their job, to maximize shareholder value while meeting the market demand for their products?” That actually reinforces the argument for not giving free rein to Big Pharma.

Even under capitalism, how can shareholder value ever justify preying on the sick? That is not capitalism. That is unfettered greed.

Ruberta Taylor, Orange

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To the editor: A letter writer defends an example of free market capitalism as pharmaceutical companies “crawling with profit seekers preying on the sick.” Without irony, he states that the job of a company is to maximize shareholder value while meeting the market demand (by sick people) for the corporate products.

Thus, the writer attacks Lazarus as being “anti-capitalism.” One could easily use this scenario as a definition of sociopathy. If being anti-capitalism means anti-sociopathy, then please count me in.

Jan Rainbird, Irvine

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